November 13, 2024 3:50 a.m.
A missing 5-year-old boy from Coos County has been found deceased.
Coos County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Sergeant Christopher Gill said Joshua McCoy had been missing since Saturday evening after leaving his residence on Stage Road in the Hauser area while his mother was asleep.
Gill said at approximately 6:45 p.m. first responders arrived on the scene. Soon after, it was discovered the child had a cellphone, and a phone-ping of that phone was conducted. The information related to the phone-ping did not provide any fruitful information.
Several deputies began a search of the property, while investigating the allegations of Joshua being picked up by a known family member, which was later found to not be factual. An “Attempt to Locate” was sent out to all surrounding agencies.
Sunday deputies continued to search the property and surrounding areas, along with several volunteers from Coos County Search and Rescue including K9 units, ground and drone operators. A pond on the property was drained and nothing of interest was located.
Gill said during Sunday’s search, additional resources were requested from neighboring counties in southern Oregon and northern California. This included members of Douglas County Search and Rescue, according to Lieutenant Brad O’Dell of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Monday at approximately 6:00 a.m., deputies and SAR volunteers continued the search and rescue operation. Several members of local fire departments arrived to assist in the search. Additional assistance from members of the California Oregon Regional Search and Rescue Task Force was requested for the next day.
Gill said Tuesday around 12:30 p.m., Joshua’s body was found. It was located approximately 1.6 miles straight line distance North-West from the child’s residence, and almost 2 miles by road. The investigation is ongoing and no additional information will be released at this time.
Gill thanked the departments and agencies that assisted CCSO. That included Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Oregon State Police, and a long list of agencies from the region including all seven CORSAR counties.