Woman held in case of boy’s death sent to Harris County jail
Authorities believe a woman charged in connection with the death of a 5-year-old boy was on her way to Louisiana when Jasper law enforcement officials recovered the child’s body in a motel, court records show.
Theresa Balboa, facing a charge of tampering with evidence, was transferred on Friday morning to the Harris County Jail by Jasper County Sheriff's Office deputies, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
A capital murder investigation is also pending in the death of the boy, Samuel Olson, prosecutors said.
She is being held in lieu of posting $500,000 bail. Prosecutors requested the high amount because she was a flight risk and was already on bond for an alleged assault against the child’s father, they said in court documents.
The child was reported missing on May 27 by his father, Dalton Olson, and found dead inside a hotel room on Tuesday night. The boy could have died at least as early as May 10, when Balboa’s roommate saw Samuel bruised and deceased on a bed, court records revealed.
The roommate told police he helped Balboa wrap the boy’s body in a bag and tote before they drove him to a storage unit in Webster, according to the records.
Another person called Crime Stoppers on June 1 after they said they helped move the container from Webster to a Best Western motel in Jasper, authorities said.
The last time the boy was seen at school was April 30, the date his father also said he placed the child in Balboa’s care. Investiga
tors and family members realized something was amiss when Balboa’s story about the boy didn’t check out.
Balboa called Olson a week ago Thursday to report that Samuel’s mother arrived with a person presenting themselves as a police officer and took him from her home without consent, the father told police.
The mother later denied picking up her child and provided surveillance footage showing that she was at her own residence.
The boy's father has denied involvement in his son's death, saying he was “shocked and devastated” by the events.
Balboa was at a mental health unit in the jail Friday, officials said during a probable cause hearing, obtained by KTRK-TV.