Foul Play Now Suspected in Death of Boy, 5, with Autism, Whose Mom Said Had Vanished While She Napped

Police in Oregon now believe Joshua McCoy, a 5-year-old boy whose body was found naked in the woods less than two miles from his mother’s home last month, may have been murdered.

A search warrant affidavit filed in Coos County this week shows investigators believe there was foul play involved in Joshua's death, according to reports by local KVAL, KOBI 5, and KEZI 9.

The outlets reported that investigators found evidence on the child’s body that casts doubt on a theory that the 5-year-old had walked to the spot in the woods where his body was discovered — including a lack of marks on his bare feet that would’ve likely been present if the boy walked to the woods himself.

Joshua, who had autism and was non-verbal, had been reported missing last month after his mother Angela German said she woke up from a nearly four-hour nap and couldn’t find her son. A search and rescue effort lasted three days as local and federal authorities looked for Joshua, announcing on Nov. 12 that the boy’s remains had been located.

KOBI 5, citing the affidavit, reported that Joshua's body was discovered about 20 feet off a local roadway and that his body 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.”

Authorities have not announced the boy's cause of death.

The outlet adds that the affidavit alleges there were tire tracks in the mud near Joshua's body and that mud was also allegedly found on German’s car tires, according to the affidavit.

The Department of Human Services in Oregon has also been investigating German’s treatment of her son, KOBI 5 reported, citing the court documents. PEOPLE has reached out to the Oregon DHS but did not immediately receive a response. PEOPLE was not able to immediately reach German, who has not been charged with a crime.

Lawson Amos McCoy, the boy’s father, spoke with OregonLive.com last month shortly after his son’s body was found.

“I want the truth, plain and simple,” the father said. “I don’t care about anything else. My baby’s gone.”

Related: Father Speaks Out About 5-Year-Old Boy with Autism Who Died After Leaving Home While Mom Napped

Lawson’s family told the outlet that the father was dealing with guilt after having recently moved back home to Ohio and not having seen his son in more than a year. Lawson, who served in the Air Force and is now on disability, says he took care of Joshua as a stay-at-home father in years past after his then-girlfriend, the boy’s mother, got a job that took the family to Oregon.

“I nurtured him and bathed him and fed him. I mean, I knew his favorite foods. I knew his favorite colors,” Lawson told OregonLive. “I can’t believe this has happened.”

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Related: Oregon Mom Wakes Up from Nap to Find 5-Year-Old Boy Missing, Police Say ‘Nothing Definitive’ Has Been Found

A GoFundMe was set up last month to help the father pay for funeral costs in Ohio, as well as counseling and therapy for family members. The GoFundMe will also help pay to hire a private investigator to look into the boy's death.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Coos County Sheriff’s Office and the GoFundMe organizer for comment, but has not received a response.

The local North Bend community where Joshua and his mother lived held a candlelight vigil honoring the 5-year-old’s memory, local KEZI 9 reported.

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