Girlfriend Of Houston Father Arrested After Son’s Body Found In Her Bag

Well, this is absolutely horrific.

Source: Edward Berthelot / Getty

The girlfriend of the father of a missing six-year-old boy has been arrested after she was located inside a motel room where the boy’s body is believed to have been found.

According to reports from KTVT, the boy–who was discovered on Tuesday inside of a tote bag at a Best Western in Jasper, Texas–is believed to be Samuel Olson, who was reported missing on Thursday by his father, Dalton Olson, and his girlfriend, Theresa Balboa. An anonymous tip led cops to the hotel where Balboa was found with the child’s body.

Now, Balboa has been charged with tampering with evidence in the active investigation and may face additional charges, Houston’s Assistant Police Chief Heather Morris told reporters during a Wednesday morning press conference. Balboa is being held in the Jasper County Jail as officials work to return her to Houston.

“Our hearts go out to the family members of Samuel,” Morris said. “We are very saddened by the events that have brought us here today.”

The young boy’s disappearance was reported on May 27, but investigators now believe he’d actually been missing for weeks prior after finding inconsistencies in statements from Balboa and the boy’s father. Samuel was last seen at Holbrook Elementary School on April 30, a few weeks before he was reported missing. It’s possible the boy may have been missing since that time, according to Morris.

“Other than that, we don’t have information yet as far as when was the last time he was actually seen,” Morris told reporters. “It is absolutely heartbreaking. And as far as a motive, we do not have a motive at this point in time.”