“I would give anything in the world to hold him in my arms one more time and kiss his forehead and tell him now that I love him a lot.”

Lawson McCoy, who likes to go by Amos, shares his grief in a phone interview from his home in Wellston, Ohio.

After his five-year-old son found out, Joshua James McCoy was found dead near Coos Bay Tuesday afternoon.

He says authorities notified him that Joshua was missing on Saturday.

The Coos County Sheriff’s Office says he was last seen with his mother Saturday around 1 p.m. at her home in Hauser before she took a nap.

“The FBI came and got me and talked to me… I gave my phone information and mouth swabs freely because I’m innocent… I’m a victim.”

Amos says he and Joshua’s mother lived together for four and a half years in Hauser. He always taught Joshua to stay away from the pond alone and stay away from their home.

“He was autistic, but he was a genius; he could read and write words from the age of two and a half”.

Federal, state and local law enforcement searched 7 counties in Oregon and California for three days with K-9s, drones and other technology in search of Joshua; they even drained a pond behind the child’s house.

Authorities received a ping from Joshua’s cell phone, but Amos says they couldn’t find it because it was on airplane mode.

Then Coos County Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio confirmed Amos’ worst nightmare.

“The cause of death is still under investigation. but luckily we had amazing local, state and federal support. Lots of people helping. I just wish there was a better outcome,” Coos County Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio said.

Amos, who is a retired disabled Air Force veteran and father of four grown children, says Officer Justin Gray, a fellow veteran and father, told him he wouldn’t leave the mountain until he picked up his son.

“Officer Gray is my hero. He is the man who carried my son from the woods. I love him so much.”

Now, as authorities, including the FBI, work to determine Joshua’s cause of death. Amos thanks the community for all their hard work and says, “Right for Joshua. Justice for Joshua. I want justice for my son. I want justice for my son. I just want the truth.”

Amos says he and his family hope to bury Joshua in Ohio near them.

He says he hasn’t spoken to Joshua’s mother since their son’s disappearance.

Meanwhile, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office has not released any new information regarding their investigation.

But Amos says he has full confidence in the law enforcement team to bring justice to Joshua.