THE family of Samuel Olson’s stepmother have spoken of their “complete shock” after she was charged following the discovery of a child’s body in her Texas motel room.
Theresa Balboa, the girlfriend of Samuel’s father, reported the six-year-old missing in Houston last week – but police believe the boy vanished a month ago.
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Investigators discovered a body they believe to be the remains of little Samuel on Tuesday evening, stuffed in a tote bag inside a motel room in Jasper, approximately 135 miles northeast of Houston.
They later arrested his stepmom, Balboa, 29, at the same location.
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Samuel’s father, Dalton Olson, previously appealed for help with his fiancee as cops searched for the missing child.
She has since been charged with tampering with evidence and may face additional charges, police confirmed during a news conference on Wednesday.
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Balboa’s cousin, Stephanie Worth, told The Sun exclusively: “I am just at a loss for words. I just don’t understand. I’m in complete shock.”
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Friend Joseph Martinez also said he was stunned to hear the news of her arrest and believes she’s innocent, describing her as “kind, funny and high spirited.”
He said: “I’m shocked to hear about this story. I’ve known Theresa for many years, she was my best friend in high school but then we ventured our separate ways as adults.
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“I would never think she’d be accused of such a thing.
“I haven’t had much contact with her lately but I stand by her and support her, I hope everything is [going to be] okay.”
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Her brother, Ramon Balboa, confirmed he was aware of his sister’s arrest but declined to comment when approached by The Sun.
A mugshot shows the young woman, who remains in custody in Jasper County Jail, with grown-out pink hair dye wearing a blue vest. She appears expressionless.
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She had initially told police that she had given Samuel back to his biological mother, Sarah Olson, when she showed up at her home with a man she believed to be a police officer.
Balboa said she last saw Samuel in the 8800 block of McAvoy Drive in Houston, Texas, telling KTRK: “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.”
She continued that she had to hand over the child because she has no legal rights to him.
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Houston Police Department Executive Assistant Larry Satterwhite confirmed that cops have not verified the version of events Balboa provided.
Satterwhite said Samuel’s last known sighting was at Holbrook Elementary School as far back as April 2021.
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Issuing a statement through her attorneys on Tuesday, the child’s mother Sarah said she didn’t know where her son was and hadn’t seen him since January 2020.
One of her attorneys, Marco González, described her as being “completely devastated” and feels like the system and court have let her down.
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He said his client has been in cooperation with investigators but does not feel comfortable talking to the media.
González said Balboa’s accusations implicating that she had something to do with her son’s disappearance is false, saying that there are “too many holes in that story.”
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Samuel’s father Dalton previously told FOX 26 he and his fiancee had a “routine” that saw the youngster predominantly staying with her.
When asked why, he said Balboa would help watch the boy because he didn’t have a car and worked long hours in construction.
“I’ve literally tried to do everything from the very beginning to do what’s best for my son,” he said.
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“That is my whole world and I can’t imagine if anything happened to him and I believe he’s still out there.”
Since Balboa’s arrest it has been revealed just months before Samuel vanished, Olson sought a restraining order against Balboa after she allegedly choked him.
Balboa was charged with assaulting and “impeding [the] breath of the child’s father in November 2020, Click2Houston reported.
Olson was granted a restraining order against her, barring Balboa from having any direct contact with him or his family members.
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However, the couple said they have moved past their issues when speaking to reporters on Sunday, with Olson insisting “this is about Sam.”
Olson added that Samuel wasn’t around at the time of the choking incident.
He also insisted that he doesn’t believe his fiancee is at fault.
Stepmom Theresa Balboa gives statement after Samuel Olson goes missing
