Houston, Texas. 6-year-old Samuel Olson was reported missing on May 27th after his dad’s girlfriend concocted a crazy story that turned out to be completely false.
Speaking to KHOU11, Samuel’s grandmother explained that the little boy loved Buzz Lightyear. He was kind. He was funny. He could tell you all about lots of different types of dinosaurs.
Rumor had it that Samuel disappeared around April 30th, but his grandmother insisted that he had been with her up until recently and that Samuel had last been seen with his dad’s girlfriend, Theresa Balboa.
Texas EquuSearch; pictured above is Samuel Olson
Authorities headed out to the apartment Theresa shared with Samuel’s dad Dalton on May 27th to talk to them about Samuel, who was reported as missing.
At 6 p.m. that night, officers with the Houston Police Department listened as Theresa told them that at around 7 that morning she had watched as Samuel’s mom came to the front of their apartment with an officer.
Theresa said that this officer insisted she was going to jail if she did not give Samuel back to his mom.
The officer and Samuel’s mom ended up leaving the apartment in different cars after speaking with her.
Theresa shared this version of events with Samuel’s dad Dalton, who reached out directly to Samuel’s mom.
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Samuel’s mom did not have Samuel with her though, and she also had never even left her house on May 27th.
As investigators dug deeper into what was going on, they realized Theresa’s story was not adding up, and she was not telling the truth.
Then, someone anonymously called in a tip to CrimeStoppers, which pointed investigators directly to a motel in Jasper, Texas.
Facebook; pictured above is Theresa
When authorities showed up to the motel they got tipped off about, they sadly found a child dead in one of the rooms.
They now believe this child to be none other than 6-year-old Samuel.
Twitter; pictured above Troy Finner, Houston Police Chief, confirms they believe they found Samuel dead in the motel room
“The active and emotional search for 6-year-old Samuel Olson is now over,” Texas EquuSearch, the organization heavily involved in the search for Samuel, shared.
“The body of a young child that had been found hidden away in a motel room in Jasper, Texas is thought to be that of little Samuel; but positive identification and the cause of the young boy’s death must still be confirmed by medical authorities and law enforcement investigators.”
“We ask that everyone please keep Samuel’s family, his little schoolmates & teachers, and all of those who TRULY love Samuel in your thoughts and prayers during this unbelievably tragic time.”
Theresa has been arrested and charged with tampering with evidence. Houston Police mentioned they do not have a motive for Theresa at this time, nor do they have an official cause of death for Samuel, who still needs to be positively identified by the coroner.
Authorities are not sharing a lot of information right now, as the investigation is still ongoing. They did say that evidence was recovered from Theresa’s residence and that her car was towed to be looked at.
You can watch their latest press conference here.
Facebook; pictured above Houston Police Department Assistant Chief Heather Morris speaks at the latest press conference regarding Samuel