Texas woman charged with capital murder in death of boyfriend's five-year-old son
Houston, Texas - Theresa Raye Balboa has been charged with capital murder after the body of her boyfriend's five-year-old son was found in a motel in Jasper, Texas.
On May 27 at around 6 PM, little Samuel Olson was reported missing.
However, an autopsy of a body discovered in a motel room on June 1 and identified as Samuel confirmed that he had already been dead for weeks at that point.
According to his school, the last time he attended classes was on April 30. His grandmother told reporters that she last saw him on May 2, according to KPRC2.
Balboa, who was dating the boy's dad at the time, initially accused Samuel's mother and a man posing as a police officer of taking the child.
On June 1, Crime Stoppers received a crucial tip that led investigators to the Best Western Inn in Jasper, where they found Balboa, as well as the boy's body in room 106. He was wrapped in a black plastic back and laid inside a tote with a yellow zip-tied lid.
An autopsy soon confirmed the tragedy – Samuel Olson was killed as a result of blunt-force trauma.
On July 8, Balboa was charged with murder.
Two other man have been charged in connection to the case
According to KPRC-TV, Samuel had been living with Balboa's since April 30, for reasons that aren't yet clear.
Balboa's roommate, Ben Rivera (27), was also charged with tampering with evidence in the case. He reportedly told investigators that Balboa called him on May 10 to confess to killing Samuel.
According to Rivera's statement, he then returned home and helped Balboa place Samuel's body in a bathtub, where they left it for two days. On May 13, they wrapped the body in plastic and drove to a storage unit before Balboa took it to the Jasper hotel.
Another man, Dylan Walker (27), has since also been charged with tampering with evidence, KPRC reported. Court documents say he drove the killer to Jasper and also rented the room at the Best Western Inn.
The district attorney's office has yet to decide whether to pursue the death penalty against Balboa.
Cover photo: Houston Police Department