Mom Inconsolable After Her Missing Child Found Dead in Motel With Ex-Husband's Partner: "That Body Is My Baby"

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on June 4, 2021. It has since been updated.

Trigger warning: This story contains details that might be disturbing to some readers.

In a devastating turn of events, a missing 6-year-old in Texas was found to be dead. 

According to KHOU, the body of Samuel Olson was found in the Best Western Inn on West Gibson Street in Jasper on June 2, 2021. The news shattered the boy's mother, who had been waiting for his return. 

"I'm heartbroken, but I believe that body is my baby," said Sarah Olson, the mother of the child, according to People. Further, the devastated mother accused her former husband and father of the child, Dalton Olson, for Samuel's death. 

The mother's accusation comes after police found Dalton's girlfriend, Theresa Balboa, present in the motel room where the body was found.

Consequently, Theresa was arrested for tampering with evidence. The boy's father, on the other hand, has not been charged yet. "If Samuel is deceased, [his] death is on Theresa and Dalton," said the grieving mother of the child. Sarah and Dalton shared the custody of the boy after their separation. Sarah had primary custody of Samuel while Dalton had visitation rights. However, the couple got into a custody dispute after Dalton allegedly failed to return Samuel after a January 2020 weekend visit. 

According to People, police had been on the lookout for Samuel since May 27, 2021. As per the call received by the cops around 6 p.m, the boy was allegedly taken from Theresa's apartment. She told the police that Sarah had arrived outside her apartment with an unknown officer, who told her that she would go to jail if she refused to let the child go with his mother.  Theresa then stated that the officer and Sarah left in separate vehicles. However, when investigators contacted the mother, she told them Samuel was not with her.

Additionally, officers found Theresa's story untrue as Sarah had not left her home in the morning. 

Speaking about the case at the time when the child went missing, Larry Satterwhite, Executive Assistant Chief of the Houston police stated that people outside the boy's inner circle saw him last on April 30, 2021,  at his school in northeast Houston. The authorities also admitted that they had lost track of the woman, who reported the kidnapping. 

"I'm not willing to say she's missing. I'm just saying I don't know where she is at this moment," told Satterwhite to the reporters. Alluding to the initial call, he said, "we didn't know if we had a child custody issue — we could still have that — or anything else more nefarious. We just don't know, or if we were even getting the accurate information."

Meanwhile, the authorities searched the Gateway at the Ellington apartment complex. It was reportedly rented by a friend of Theresa. Unfortunately, the cops did not find any clues that could help with the investigation. 

"No one seems to know where he is," said Satterwhite at the time. He continued, "This is a complicated case, but we're trying to move with as much urgency as we can to get him back safely. We just are still not where we need to be in terms of locating him."

In addition to the police department, Texas EquuSearch volunteers also joined the search. They conducted a search in an area near the Gulf Freeway and Dixie Farm Road. 

Meanwhile, Tim Miller from Texas EquuSearch claimed that it was becoming hard for his team to locate the boy. "I sure as hell don’t think this is going to have a happy ending,” said Miller. 

An anonymous tip to CrimeStoppers led the authorities to the motel, which ended the search with a rather tragic end. "At this time we believe the child to be Samuel, but we cannot confirm that it is him until the medical examiner makes that determination," said Houston's Assistant Police Chief Heather Morris. 

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Sarah's attorney stated that the helpless mother had been trying to deliver legal paperwork enforcing the primary custody of her son to Dalton for months. However, the court proceedings were delayed due to the pandemic and Dalton's repeated change of residence.

"All I want is justice for Samuel, my baby. I do not want people to forget Samuel's name," said the mother through her attorney. 

References: 

https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/samuel-olson-missing-houston-jasper-texas/285-59e3f1ca-51bc-4934-9484-cef9d0cd7562
https://people.com/crime/texas-mom-heartbroken-missing-child-body-found-blames-ex/
https://people.com/crime/texas-search-intensifies-missing-6-year-old-boy-last-seen-at-school-april/
https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/samuel-olson-missing-from-houston/285-a9ead3f8-82f5-4151-bcb4-8d3325ca298f

Cover Image Source: Texas Equu Search Facebook Page