Court documents say the boy was found unresponsive on May 10, was placed in a bathtub for two days and taken to a storage unit. Theresa Balboa was charged this week with tampering with evidence after the boy's body was found in her motel room.
Samuel Olson, the 5-year-old boy found dead earlier this week in a Texas motel room, may have died 17 days before he was reported missing, which cops say the woman accused of tampering with his corpse knew, despite giving conflicting statements to police.
Theresa Balboa, who is the girlfriend of Samuel’s father, was taken into custody Wednesday after she was allegedly found in a Best Western motel room with the boy’s body stuffed inside of a bin.
An arrest warrant affidavit obtained by local media outlets said Balboa's roommate told investigators he arrived home May 10 to find Samuel bruised and unresponsive on the bed.
He and Balboa put the boy's body in a bathtub and left him there for two days, according to the reports. The roommate said that he wrapped the child’s body, placed it in the box and took it to a storage unit.
On May 27, Samuel was reported missing by his father, Dalton Olson.
Court documents obtained by KTRK-TV say Balboa and the roommate went to the storage unit on May 31 after Balboa spoke to reporters at one of the search sites for Samuel. The pair picked up a black-and-yellow plastic container that had a foul odor, the court records said.
The friend then drove Balboa to the Best Western motel in Jasper and left her there, the documents said. He called police June 1, which led police to room 106, where Balboa and the remains were found, according to authorities.
Balboa was at Samuel’s father’s side during the search for the missing boy.
“Words can't describe how distraught, overwhelmed, scared, so many emotions,” she told reporters.
But cops say she knew all along the boy was dead.
Balboa was transferred to a Houston courthouse Friday morning. She chose not to appear before the judge. Her bond was set at $500,000.
