Missing autistic Oregon boy found dead four days before his 6th birthday: sheriff

A 5-year-old Oregon boy with autism was found dead Tuesday afternoon after he vanished from his home over the weekend, authorities said.

The body of Joshua McCoy — whose birthday is just four days away — was discovered around 12:30 p.m. about 1.6 miles from his home in Hauser, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office said in a tragic update.

The law enforcement agency said the boy and his mother took a nap together early Saturday afternoon and when the parent woke up around 5:30 p.m., little Joshua was gone, according to a missing child poster.

Deputies scoured the property and even drained a pond on the family’s land while deploying drones and police dogs to the surrounding area during the desperate search for the boy.

Other local agencies, as well as state and federal partners, were called in to help.

“The areas that have been searched have been very thorough and methodical due to the circumstances behind the disappearance,” the sheriff’s office stated. “We have had amazing support from the community in feeding all of these volunteers.”

Joshua would have turned 6 years old this Saturday, according to the missing child poster.

It’s unknown if the authorities are considering filing criminal charges in the missing child case.

But the sheriff’s office previously said nothing is being ruled out as the agency continues its probe.

“The investigation is ongoing and no additional information will be released at this time,” the sheriff’s office said in Tuesday’s grim update.