By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-07 02:09:39 | Updated at 2024-12-23 06:28:54
2 weeks ago
A subtle piece of evidence has led Oregon cops to believe a five-year-old autistic boy who was found dead in the woods may have been murdered - casting doubt on his mom's story.
Joshua McCoy was reported missing last month after his mother couldn't locate him when she woke up from a nap - but after a three-day search, his naked body was found in the woods less than two miles from her home.
But investigators have discovered that his bare feet lacked marks that would be present if he had walked to the wooded area himself, leading police to believe something sinister may be at play, People reported.
Additionally, the new search warrant affidavit filed in Coos County this week said that the body - which was found roughly 20 feet off a local roadway - had 'no signs of trauma, no petechiae and no scratches or cuts that would be consistent with Joshua walking through the briars or blackberry bushes'.
The affidavit also highlighted there were tire tracks in the mud near where his body was found as well as on his mother's car tires.
Authorities have yet to release the boy's cause of death.
Joshua was reported missing on November 9 by a friend of his mother who lives in Utah after she called her instead of police, KEZI 9 reported.
Her reasoning for calling a friend instead of law enforcement was said to be because of a past bad experience with the department.
A new search warrant casts doubt on the circumstances surrounding five-year old Joshua McCoy's death who was found naked in the woods less than two miles away from his mother's Oregon home last month
Lawson Amos McCoy, Joshua's father, who hadn't seen his son in a year after moving back to Ohio, has demanded answers after his son's remains were discovered
Angela German, Joshua's mother, told cops more than three weeks ago that she had woken up from a four-hour nap to find her non-verbal son missing from their Hauser home.
The report prompted a search and rescue effort that lasted three days consisting of local and federal authorities working to locate him.
Authorities then announced on November 12 that his remains were located in the Coos County coastal forest.
The new affidavit outlined the fact that German's story changed several times for how long she'd been asleep - eventually telling authorities that she took barbiturates and ketamine to help her sleep.
Lawson Amos McCoy, Joshua's father, demanded answers after he spoke with Oregon Live last month shortly after his son's body was found.
'I want the truth, plain and simple,' he said. 'I don't care about anything else. My baby's gone.'
The 47-year-old father met German when they both lived in Utah before they decided to buy a house together and have a baby.
The pair moved to Coos Bay in a home residing on an isolated stretch of road next to a large pond after German got a job in a local hospital working as a nurse, Oregon Live reported.
Joshua, who was autistic and non-verbal, was reported missing by his mother's friend in Utah after his mother woke up from a nap and couldn't locate him - and after a three-day search, he was found in the Coos County coastal forest
A new search warrant discovered that there were no scratches or bruising on his bare feet which would've been present if he walked into the wooded area himself
While she worked at the hospital, McCoy - who received benefits due to a disability from his service in the US Air Force - cared for their son as a stay-at-home father.
'I nurtured him and bathed him and fed him,' he told the outlet. 'I mean I knew his favorite foods. I knew his favorite colors. I can't believe this has happened.'
But McCoy hasn't seen his son since he left Oregon - and is convinced if he hadn't left, his son would still be alive today.
'He thinks it's all his fault, just because he left JJ,' Joshua McCoy, McCoy's brother, told the outlet.
McCoy's brother also set up a GoFundMe last month to help Joshua's father pay for the funeral costs - which he wished to have back in Ohio to be buried next to his great-grandfather and great-grandmother - as well as therapy for the family members.
Now, some of that money will also go to hiring a private investigator to look into the young boy's death.
The new warrant sought to search German's home and seize her Porsche for forensic testing, as well as search of McCoy's cell phone which was found near Joshua's body when he was discovered, KEZI 9 reported.
McCoy noted how he hasn't had any contact with German since the horrific outcome - and his biggest regret is still leaving Oregon.
Joshua's father, who lived in Oregon and took care of his son as a stay-at home dad before moving back to Ohio, believes that if he never left the home, Joshua would still be alive today
As of now, there is no one in custody and facing charges at this point as well as no named suspects in the case
Gabe Fabrizio, the Coos County Sheriff, said that detectives are investigating his death as a murder case - but remain open to any evidence that refutes it, KVAL 13 reported.
The Department of Human Services in the state are also investigating how Joshua was treated at home by his mother.
Court records showed that the department had recently issued a 'pick up order' after an initial investigation spanning several months looked into German's alleged alcohol use, neglect and mistreatment of her son, KEZI 9 reported.
There is no one in custody and facing charges at this point.
There have also been no suspects named in the case.
