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Theresa Balboa was moving Samuel Olson's body to another state before motel arrest

Investigators believe the man who helped her take the body to the motel called Crime Stoppers to file an anonymous tip to police about Balboa's whereabouts
PUBLISHED JUN 5, 2021
Theresa Balboa, 29, (L) was jailed June 1 after being charged with tampering with evidence regarding 6-year-old Samuel Olson's case (Houston Police)
Theresa Balboa, 29, (L) was jailed June 1 after being charged with tampering with evidence regarding 6-year-old Samuel Olson's case (Houston Police)

HOUSTON, TEXAS: The girlfriend of Samuel Olson's dad was allegedly trying to move the 6-year-old's body to another state when she was apprehended by the authorities, per court documents.

Theresa Balboa, 29, was jailed Tuesday night, June 1, after being charged with tampering with evidence following the discovery of a body believed to be that of the missing child inside her motel room in Jasper, Texas. However, prosecutors cited Balboa to be a flight risk in a motion of bail obtained by The Sun, alleging that she was "on her way to Louisiana" with the child's body when she was arrested. Balboa's bond was set at $500,000. She will have to wear an ankle monitor and be placed under house arrest if she makes bail.

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This came as Balboa was transferred from Jasper County jail back to Harris County, where she and Samuel's father Dalton Olson reported the child missing on May 27.

Meanwhile, Balboa didn't appear in a probable cause court at 10 am Friday, June 4, citing an unspecified medical reason. And while the Medical Examiner is yet to officially identify the remains found in the Jasper motel room, police are almost certain they belong to Samuel. "An autopsy examination of the ... body will be performed to determine a cause and manner of death, and additional charges may be filed," court documents stated.

Authorities believe Samuel died on May 10, more than two weeks before he was reported missing. The child had reportedly been under Balboa's care since April 30 -- and no one outside the family has seen him ever since. Balboa initially claimed that she had handed Samuel over to his biological mother and a man "dressed" as a police officer. But investigators were unable to verify Balboa's claims and said she was lying.



 

Balboa's roommate, Benjamin Rivera, reportedly told investigators that she called him on May 10 and informed him that Samuel was dead, as per the charging documents. He said he rushed home from work and found Samuel laying on the bed, unresponsive.
 
Rivera told detectives that he noticed bruising on the child's body, when he and Balboa moved Samuel to a bathtub where he remained for two days. On May 13, he claims he purchased duct tape and a plastic tote from Walmart. He and Balboa proceeded to wrap Samuel's body in a plastic sheet, place it in a tote bag, and loaded it onto the back of his truck. Balboa's roommate then drove to a storage unit in Webster, as per court documents. 
 
Prosecutors said on Thursday, June 3, that surveillance cameras caught Balboa being picked up from the same storage unit by a man on June 1. However, it is yet to be confirmed if that man was Rivera. The video reportedly showed her holding the plastic bin that allegedly contained Samuel's body before she loaded it onto the back of the man's truck. Just hours before that, Balboa had pretended to assist with a search for Samuel in the vicinity, as per the prosecution.



 

“What the hell is wrong with people?" a car wash worker next door to the facility told The Sun. "Even if it was an accident ... for them to go and put the baby in there [the storage unit] it’s sickening.”

Balboa and the unidentified man subsequently drove to the Best Western motel in Jasper and were seen on surveillance footage arriving at the establishment. The man was seen unloading the plastic bin and carrying it to room 106 before leaving the motel, as per court documents.

Investigators believe it was the same man who later called Crime Stoppers to file an anonymous tip to police about Balboa's whereabouts and the "foul-smelling" bin.

Rivera is currently not facing any charges and it is unclear whether he's remanded in custody as well. Authorities previously said several persons of interest were being investigated as potential suspects in Samuel's apparent death. His father, Dalton Olson, is not being considered a person of interest at this time.

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