Texas police announced that a little boy’s body found inside a Best Western in Jasper on Tuesday is that of 6-year-old Samuel Olson.
Authorities indicated they were tipped off to the hotel off of West Gibson Street at around 6 p.m. Tuesday. Jasper Police Chief Gerald Hall said although the body has not been officially identified, they strongly believe it to be Samuel.
The child’s body was found inside a tote bag inside one of the rooms. Hall said there were signs that the boy had been there for a while, Fox 4 reports.
No additional details are available at this time.
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As CrimeOnline previously reported, Samuel Olson, 6, was reportedly last seen Thursday in Houston, in the 8800 block of McAvoy Drive. According to Samuel’s grandmother, Tanya Olson, someone dressed up as a cop showed up with the boy’s mother and took him. Tanya said Samuel was being cared for by a friend of his father’s girlfriend when the incident happened.
On Tuesday, the Houston police announced that no one outside of the boy’s family had seen him since April 30, when he was seen at Holbrook Elementary in Cy-Fair ISD.
“It’s cause for concern,” public information officer for the Houston Police Department, Kese Smith, told Newsweek.
The father’s girlfriend, identified as Theresa Balboa, reportedly insists that she last saw Samuel on Thursday.
“I was going to take Sam to school when his mother showed up with the police officer, or who I was under the impression to be a police officer, and they demanded me to release Sam,” Balboa said.
Houston Police Department Executive Assistant Larry Satterwhite said they have not been to verify the accuracy of Balboa’s claims.
“All we have are reports. The last time we know, for a fact, he was in school and that was April 30th,” Satterwhite added.
During a press conference Tuesday, Tanya Olson said she took photos of Samuel that showed him alive and well after April 30. She pleaded for information and asked the public to stay focused on the facts, not rumors.
According to Satterwhite, Samuel’s biological mother and father share custody of him. Both parents told authorities that they do not have their son and have no idea where he is.
One of the last known places Sam was seen at was reportedly a southeast Houston apartment complex off of Gulf Breeze. Satterwhite said one of Balboa’s friends lives at the complex.
On Monday, authorities conducted a search warrant of the friend’s apartment and impounded a vehicle.
Meanwhile, Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller is assisting with the search but says he has a sinking feeling about the case.
“I’ve worked many, many of these cases. I don’t have a good feeling,” Miller said. “Nobody can find out anybody that’s credible that can tell us the last time he was seen and where.”
Anyone with information on the case should call 911, or the Houston Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 832-394-1840, or Texas EquuSearch at 281-309-9500.
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[Feature Photo: Sam Olson/Police Handout; Screenshot via ABC 13]
