Six-year-old Houston boy Samuel Olson was dead on May 10, more than two weeks before his father reported him missing, according to court documents filed in the case on Thursday.
Charging documents against 29-year-old Theresa Balboa, the girlfriend of Sam Olson’s father, say that Balboa called her roommate on that date and told him the boy was dead, KFDM reported. The roommate said when he returned home from work, Samuel was on the bed, unresponsive. He said he also noticed bruising on the child’s body.
Balboa was arrested on Tuesday in a motel room in Jasper, Texas — more than 130 miles northeast of Houston — where she was hiding in the bathroom in a room registered under a different name, the documents said. She’s been charged with tampering with evidence and was arraigned on Thursday.
According to the charging documents, Balboa’s roommate said that he helped Balboa put Sam’s body in the bathtub, KPRC reported. On May 13, he told police, he bought duct tape and a plastic tote from Walmart. He and Balboa wrapped the boy’s body in a plastic sheet, put it into the tote, and loaded it into his vehicle, the documents say. Then they drove to a storage unit 25 miles southeast of Houston in Webster, where they left the container.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Balboa assisted in the search for young Sam on Monday, and afterward, called a friend for help. The court documents say she made that call after being involved in some kind of altercation. The friend was seen on surveillance video helping Balboa carry a black and yellow tote from a truck into the Jasper Best Western, the court documents say. The following day, on Tuesday, that man anonymously called Crime Stoppers, telling them Balboa was at the motel with the body of a child.
Jasper police responded to the motel at about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, KPRC said.
Sam Olson was reported missing on May 27, when Balboa said that the boy’s mother, Sarah Olson, and a man dressed as a policeman came to her apartment and demanded she hand the child over. His father, Dalton Olson, said that Balboa had been watching him since April 30, which turned out to be the last day he attended school, KHOU reported.
As Houston police investigated, they noted “inconsistencies” in Balboa’s statements, and ultimately did not believe Sarah Olson, who had an alibi for the time, had taken the boy. Also on Monday, investigators executed a search warrant at Balboa’s apartment and seized her car.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast:
[Featured image: Samuel Olson/police handout]
