The father of a 5-year-old boy with autism who disappeared from his Oregon home wants to know what happened to his son. Joshua James McCoy, also known as JJ, reportedly went missing from his Coos County home on November 9, 2024, while his mother, Angela German, napped.
When she awoke, she couldn’t find JJ and contacted the police. A large-scale search began, and sadly, on November 12, crews found his body. His father, Lawson Amos McCoy, who lives in Ohio, can’t believe JJ died.
The case remains under investigation, and the Coos County sheriff made it clear on Facebook that authorities have not arrested anyone in connection with JJ’s death. His father told Oregon Live that he just wants the truth.
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McCoy hadn't seen his son in quite some time.
The father told OregonLive.com that he and German met in Utah and started a life together. McCoy said German got a job as a nurse in Coos Bay, and they relocated to Oregon after JJ was born. McCoy said JJ received an autism diagnosis and had trouble communicating. German worked, and McCoy took care of his son until he left for Ohio a year ago.
JJ’s uncle, also named Joshua McCoy, told Oregon Live his brother blames himself for his son’s death. “He thinks it’s all his fault, just because he left JJ,” he said.
The grieving father wants closure.
He told Oregon Live he only wants one thing. “I want the truth, plain and simple. “I don’t care about anything else. My baby’s gone,” he said.
McCoy said he has not been in touch with German since JJ’s death but wishes he’d never left Oregon. “I nurtured him and bathed him and fed him. I mean, I knew his favorite foods. I knew his favorite colors,” McCoy told Oregon Live through tears. “I can’t believe this has happened.”
McCoy thanked the police for helping find his son.
He’s grateful to law enforcement for everything they did to help locate JJ, McCoy told Oregon Live. “I’d like to also thank everyone in the Coos County community for their donations, their love, their support, their prayers and reaching out to me,” he said.
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Joshua McCoy created a GoFundMe account for his brother.
All money raised will help cover JJ’s final expenses. “Amos McCoy, is a disabled veteran on a fixed income. He had been the primary caregiver for Joshua, raising him after the boy’s mother went to school and work,” Joshua McCoy wrote on the page. “Despite the difficulties of life, Amos did everything he could to raise his son with love and care. Now, in the wake of this devastating loss, he is struggling with the financial burden of bringing his baby boy home to lay him to rest beside his great-grandparents, who are buried in Ohio.”
The GoFundMe page has raised $8,300 of a $10,000 goal thus far.
