Samuel Olson case: Theresa Balboa choked boyfriend Dalton Olson last year, he got restraining order against her
HOUSTON, TEXAS: Theresa Balboa, 29, was arrested after the body of a six-year-old was found in a motel room in East Texas, authorities said on Wednesday, June 2. The body is believed to be that of Samuel Olson, who was reported missing on May 27, 2021, according to Houston Police Assistant Chief Heather Morris, by Balboa. Emerging reports reveal that Balboa might have had a history of violent outbursts, even attacking Samuel's father once.
The body was found by police on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, in a motel in Jasper, Texas, which is about 135 miles northeast of the child's Houston home. Samuel Olson hadn't been home since April 30, 2021.
READ MORE
Jasper police arrested Balboa, the girlfriend of Samuel's father Dalton Olson, at the motel, Morris said at a news conference on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, and added that she is charged with evidence tampering. "Once this case has been fully investigated, investigators will be presenting the case to the district attorney's office for additional charges, if appropriate," she said. According to the latest reports, Morris said the medical examiner is yet to determine if the body is Samuel's.
A devastated family
According to a report, Samuel's grandmother, Tonya Olson said in an email that the family is "completely devastated." "Shocked and so many other things that words cannot explain at the moment. We are grieving as a family. None of us can wrap our heads around this. My son or anyone in our family had absolutely nothing to do with this."
Earlier this week, Samuel's father Dalton Olson reportedly said that Balboa had also since gone missing. On Monday, May 31, 2021, when they were handling out missing flyers together, that is when he said he had last seen her. Dalton had said Balboa looked after Samuel while he worked long hours in construction. Latest reports reveal that Dalton's fiancee does have a history of abuse.
A restraining order
When the child was reported missing, the couple had reportedly said that they had moved past their relationship issues. It is now being revealed that just months before Samuel vanished, Olson had sought a restraining order against Balboa after she allegedly strangled him. Apparently, the child wasn't around when this happened.
As per a report in Click2Houston, Balboa was charged with assaulting and blocking Dalton's breath in November 2020. Olson was granted a restraining order against her, barring Balboa from having any direct contact with him or his family members.
According to a report in The Sun, in May 2010, Balboa was busted for possession of marijuana and also served three days behind bars. After she pleaded guilty to the offense, Balboa was ordered to pay $282 in court costs. Her driving license was also suspended for one year.
However, Dalton insisted that he doesn't believe Balboa is at fault for Samuel's situation. "I feel like I'm having a bad dream that I can't wake up from," he has said. Samuel's biological mother Sarah Olson's attorney Marco González says there are "too many holes in that [Theresa Balboa's] story". Balboa had previously said that Sarah had taken the child. "I was going to take Sam to school when his mother showed up with the police officer, or who I was under the impression to be a police officer, and they demanded me to release Sam," Balboa had told ABC13.
González, however, clarified in a press conference that Sarah hadn't had access to Samuel since the last time she saw him in January 2020.