Father speaks out after 5-year-old boy with autism dies alone at home while mother was taking a nap

The father of a missing 5-year-old Oregon boy who was found dead less than two miles from his home said he wants what led to the tragic circumstances surrounding his son.

“I want the truth, plain and simple,” Lawson told Amos McCoy, father of the late Joshua James McCoy. OregonLive.com in an article published on Thursday, November 14. “I don’t care about anything else. My baby is gone.”

According to the Coos County Sheriff’s Office, Joshua, who had autism, was last seen at his home on Stage Road in Hauser on Saturday, November 9.

According to authorities, the boy’s mother woke up from a nap around 5:30 PM local time to find her son missing.

In a missing person report released by the sheriff’s office, Joshua was described as approximately 6 feet tall and weighing between 50 and 60 pounds. with brown, shoulder-length hair and brown eyes.

On a Monday, November 11 Facebook updateAccording to the sheriff’s office, the search for Joshua intensified the day before, with authorities and drones deployed to surrounding areas. The department also said it has sought assistance from state and federal agencies.

On November 12, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement the boy’s remains were located.

“Today (November 12), around 12:30 p.m., Joshua was found dead approximately 1.5 miles in a straight line northwest of the child’s residence, and nearly 2 miles by road,” authorities stated, and added: “The investigation is ongoing and no additional information will be released at this time.”

Additionally, the sheriff’s office emphasized, “The areas searched were very thorough and methodical due to the circumstances behind the disappearance.”

In his interview with OregonLive, Joshua’s father, Lawson, said he had not seen his son in more than a year after returning to Ohio. He met his girlfriend in Utah, and they became Joshua’s parents. The family then moved to Coos Bay after the girlfriend got a job as a nurse. While she worked, Lawson, who had served in the Air Force and had a disability, cared for Joshua at home.

Lawson’s brother, Joshua (who has the same first name as his young nephew) told the newspaper that Lawson believes what happened was his fault because he left Oregon and now feels guilty.

A GoFundMe was founded to help pay for the younger Joshua’s funeral expenses, including burying the boy in Ohio with his great-grandparents. Funds from the fundraiser will also be used for counseling and therapy and to hire a private investigator to investigate Joshua’s death.

“I nursed him, bathed him and fed him. I mean, I knew his favorite food. I knew his favorite colors,” Lawson said, OregonLive reported. “I can’t believe this happened.”

PEOPLE contacted the Coos County Sheriff’s Office and the GoFundMe organizer for comment on Friday, November 15, but they did not immediately respond.