Court Papers Show Body Of Missing Texas Boy Samuel Olson May Have Been Hidden For Weeks
HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM/CNN) — The remains of what's believed to be a missing Texas boy were found this week -- now some horrifying details about the child's believed death and aftermath are coming to light.
Authorities in Houston had been searching for little Samuel Olson since he was reported missing on May 27. On June 1, police discovered the body of a child inside a tote bag at a motel in Jasper, about 135 miles northeast of Houston. Authorities believe it is Samuel but are waiting on official confirmation from the medical examiner's office.
Authorities now say Samuel, who was 5 when he was reported missing and recently would have celebrated his 6th birthday, had been dead for weeks before he was reported missing.
Theresa Balboa, the girlfriend of Samuel's father, was interviewed as the search for the little boy continued. "Words can't even describe how distraught, overwhelmed, scared so many emotions," she said.
Balboa was arrested in Jasper, charged with tampering with evidence, and returned to Houston. Before her arrest police said they were already suspicious of the woman, because they say she lied and said Samuel's mother and a man dressed as a police officer had taken the child.
Court documents show Balboa's roommate went home on May 10 to find the child's lifeless body. The pair allegedly kept the boy in a bathtub for a couple days before putting him in a black and yellow container and taking him to a storage unit.
Samuel's body reportedly stayed in the unit for weeks until court documents say Balboa had a man drive her and the container to Jasper while police searched her Houston apartment. That man called Crime Stoppers and eventually lead police to the child's body and Balboa.
The body found in Jasper is in Harris County and will undergo an autopsy.