Updated

A 35-year-old Houston-area woman and her 31-year-old boyfriend were taken into custody Tuesday, both of them charged in connection with the death of an 8-year-old boy whose skeletal remains were found Sunday inside an apartment.

Gloria Williams, identified as the mother of the child, was charged with injury to a child by omission and tampering with a human corpse, while boyfriend Brian Coulter was charged with murder, FOX 26 of Houston reported.

Both suspects had been released following an initial round of questioning, according to the station.

Additional charges were expected as the investigation continues, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told the station.

TEXAS KIDS ABANDONED WITH SKELETAL REMAINS OF 9-YEAR-OLD BROTHER FED BY NEIGHBORS

Three other boys – ages 7, 10 and 15 – were found abandoned inside the same apartment in western Harris County near Houston, according to the report.

The dead child was declared the victim of multiple blunt-force injuries, according to the county medical examiner’s office.

Authorities said the 15-year-old boy called for help around 3:15 p.m. Sunday and said his 9-year-old brother had been dead for a year, with the corpse rotting in a room next to his, FOX 26 reported.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez speaks with reporters, Oct. 26, 2021. (Harris County Sheriff's Office)

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez speaks with reporters, Oct. 26, 2021. (Harris County Sheriff's Office) (Harris County Sheriff's Office)

The teen claimed the parents had moved out several months ago, leaving the surviving boys alone, the report said.

Gonzalez told reporters the children were unsupervised for "an extended period of time" but did not specify exactly how long, FOX 26 reported. He said it appeared they had some food available to them during that time but the two younger surviving boys appeared malnourished, with signs of physical harm, when they were discovered, the report said.

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One neighbor said other residents of the apartment complex helped provide food to the boys, KTRK-TV of Houston reported.

The investigation is continuing, led by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office’s homicide, child abuse and crime scene units, FOX 26 reported.