The girlfriend of Samuel Olson's father appeared in court Monday, where her bail was increased to $600,000 in connection with the death of Samuel Olson.
The only person charged thus far in the case of missing boy Samuel Olson appeared in a Texas court Monday, where her bail was increased to $600,000 and the prosecutor said additional charges could be filed after the child's autopsy report is completed.
Theresa Balboa, 29, is the girlfriend of Samuel's father, Dalton Olson. She appeared in Harris County court shackled, wearing a face mask and an orange jumpsuit, for about 10 minutes. The Harris County District Attorney's office said they are waiting on preliminary autopsy for the child believed to be Samuel Olson, who was reported missing on May 27, two days before his sixth birthday.
She has been charged with evidence tampering involving a human corpse, according to court records.
She was arrested last week in Jasper County, Texas, where authorities found her and a plastic case containing the decomposing remains of the little boy, police said. She was transferred from the Jasper County Jail to the Houston County Jail on Friday. Her bail had initially been set at $500,000. She was considered a flight risk because she had been allegedly preparing to take the child's body to Louisiana, prosecutors said.
"They found the tote described by a witness," according to her criminal complaint. "Smelled distinct odor of decomposition. Found complainants body wrapped in black plastic and duct tape."
The boy's father called police May 27 to report Samuel's disappearance. Balboa falsely told officers the boy's mother arrived that morning with a uniformed officer and took the child, authorities said. But her story began to fall apart as investigators spoke to the boy's mother, who provided home surveillance video showing she had never left her house, according to court documents.
The father has denied any involvement in Samuel's disappearance and told investigators the child had been with Balboa since April 30, authorities said.
That was the last day Samuel was in school, police said.
An arrest warrant affidavit 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 their bathtub and left him there for two days, the document said. He then helped her move the child's remains to a storage locker after placing them in a black plastic bag and stashing them a bin, the affidavit says.
Another friend helped Balboa retrieve the bin on June 1, which was emitting a foul odor, and drove the woman to a Best Western motel in Jasper, some 130 miles away, according to court documents. After helping Balboa move the bin into the room, the friend went home, and later called Crime Stoppers to report Balboa's location, authorities said.
Houston police have released few details in the case, saying they were questioning people in connection to Sam's disappearance, including his father. Dalton Olson has not been charged in the case and Houston Police said he is not a person of interest, but more charges could be filed. "He had nothing to do with the death of his son," attorney Samuel Veenstra said, according to KPRC. "[The] family is in mourning, shocked and in disbelief."
Balboa had been out on bond pending trial for an assault charge involving Dalton Olson, who reported in November that Balboa had choked him, Morris said. According to online court records, Balboa was freed on $15,000 bail and her arraignment is scheduled for June 24.
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