Texas authorities say boy found dead in motel room may be Samuel Olson
Meanwhile, the fiancee of the boy's father has also gone missing, according to a report
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Authorities in Jasper, Texas, were investigating Tuesday evening after the body of a young boy was discovered in a motel room, according to reports.
Preliminary findings indicate the body is likely that of Samuel Olson, a 6-year-old who was reported missing from the Houston area late last week, Jasper police Chief Gerald Hall and others believe, the chief told FOX 4 of Beaumont, Texas.
The boy's body was found inside a tote bag and appeared to have been there for some time, the chief told FOX 4. He would not comment on the cause of death.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meanwhile, the fiancée of the boy’s father also has gone missing, FOX 26 of Houston reported Tuesday.
Tonya Olson, the boy’s grandmother, told the station that a woman named Theresa Balboa – the fiancée of Samuel’s father – seems to have disappeared.
LAS VEGAS POLICE RELEASE ENHANCED PHOTO AFTER MURDERED BOY FOUND BY HIKERS MISIDENTIFIED
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The boy’s father, Dalton Olson, told FOX 26 that Theresa hasn’t been seen since Monday, when the couple headed out to post flyers about Samuel’s disappearance.
The grandmother claimed she last saw the boy early last month, when he visited her house.
"May 2 is the last time I physically had my hands on Sam," the father told FOX 26.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She said Dalton Olson later came and picked up the boy. But she insisted the father had nothing to do with the boy’s disappearance.
"Dalton is not a bad father," she said. "He would never harm that baby. He loves him to death. He would die for him."
Prior to news that a body was found in Jasper, an attorney representing the boy's mother, Sarah Olson, spoke to reporters about the case.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Attorney Marco Gonzalez claimed the mother had primary legal custody of the child but hasn't seen him since January 2020, according to KPRC-TV of Houston.
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The mother also denied claims by the father and his fiancee that the mother and a man dressed as a police officer had picked up the boy last Thursday, the attorney said, according to the station.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The state Department of Family and Protective Services would not confirm which parent had custody of the boy, KPRC reported.
The attorney claimed there were "too many holes" in the story put forth by the boy's father and grandmother.
Anyone with information on the case was asked to call Houston police or Texas Equusearch.