5-year-old boy who went missing while parent was napping is found dead near Oregon home, officials say

A 5-year-old boy who vanished from his family's home in Oregon late last week has been found dead, local law enforcement is reporting.

"It is with immense sadness that we have to report that missing Joshua McCoy has been found deceased," the Coos County Sheriff’s Office posted in a news release Tuesday.

Joshua, who had autism, was last seen at his home the evening of Saturday, Nov. 9 in in Hauser, an unincorporated community not far from the Pacific Ocean about 200 miles southwest of Portland, according to a missing person notice.

According to officials, the boy and his mother took a nap at 1 p.m., and when the boy's mother awoke at 5:30 p.m., she reported her son was gone.

The boy's body was found Tuesday less than two miles away from the home at about 12:30 p.m. local time, officials reported.

As of Thursday, no arrests had been made in connection to the boy's death, sheriff's office Sgt. Christopher W. Gill told USA TODAY.

"All avenues are being explored and the investigation is ongoing," Gill said. 

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Joshua McCoy found dead, cause of death not immediately known

Prior to the boy's body being found, a pond at the home "was drained and nothing of interest was located," officials posted online.

Sometime after 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, the day the boy disappeared, first responders learned Joshua had a cellphone, but a phone-ping "did not provide any fruitful information," the sheriff's office wrote.

Police dogs, local fire departments, community volunteers and people from several other counties in Oregon as well as California combed a large area around the home during the nearly four-day search for the boy.

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Sheriff's office: Investigation into Joshua McCoy's death ongoing

It was not immediately known how the boy died.

An autopsy was completed on the boy by the Oregon State Medical Examiners Office, Gill said. His official cause and manner of death were pending Thursday.

"Any further information will be released when it becomes available," Gill said.

Dangers of 'elopement'

According to the National Autism Association, nonverbal children have a tendency to wander off. In a behavior referred to as "elopement," children with autism may sometimes try to leave the safety of a responsible person's care or a safe area.

Research shows some people with autism elope because they are overwhelmed with sensory stimulation of something too loud or too bright, but the most common trigger of elopement is wanting to get closer to an object, drawing their curiosity.

A review by the association discovered more than 800 elopement cases from 2011 and 2016, with nearly a third being fatal or resulting in the child requiring medical attention, while another 38% involved a close call with water, traffic, or another life-threatening situation.

Contributing: Ahjane Forbes and Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.