Texas Equusearch founder Tim Miller says he knew all along that the woman accused of killing 5-year-old Samuel Olson was lying to police and the public.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Samuel was reported missing on May 27 by his father’s girlfriend, Theresa Balboa. She told police that the boy’s mother, Sarah Olson, and a man dressed as a policeman came to her Webster, Texas, apartment and demanded the child, who had been staying with her at the time.
As Houston police investigated, they noted numerous “inconsistencies” in Balboa’s statements. Samuel’s father was living in a separate home from Balboa and the boy’s mother was miles away and had an airtight alibi for the day in question, police said.
On June 1, Jasper police found Sam’s body inside a Best Western hotel in Jasper, after Balboa’s roommate, Ben Rivera, voluntarily called in a tip to 911. Balboa was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence, namely a corpse.
Deputies found Samuel inside the hotel room, wrapped in sheets and placed inside a plastic tote, according to court documents.
Weeks later, police arrested Rivera for allegedly lying about the timeline of events in connection with Samuel’s death. Police allege that Rivera knew Sam was dead weeks longer than he admitted to police.
Rivera has since been released from jail after posting a $100,000 bond, but Beall said he’s cooperating with authorities. He’ll remain under home confinement until trial.
Earlier this week, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office charged Balboa with capital murder in connection with Samuel’s death.
Miller says he knew immediately that Balboa lied when she claimed Samuel’s mother took the boy. He also said the added pressure from the media is what ultimately made Balboa flee with Samuel’s body.
“We knew from the beginning there was no truth whatsoever that police officer took that child,” Miller previously told Nancy Grace on “Crime Stories.”
Miller told KHOU that added pressure from the media is what ultimately made Balboa flee with Samuel’s body.
“I said this girl right here you’re sticking up for has everything to do with it. And that’s when she decided she needed to go into Ben’s apartment and change clothes.
“I know exactly what she did. She went in Ben’s apartment and said, ‘Hey, you know what? We got to get out of here. There’s too much heat going on.’ She went and changed clothes, and it was shortly after that she disappeared.”
Balboa’s has a court appearance scheduled for July 12. The District Attorney plans to ask no bond on the capital murder charge.
Check back for updates.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Here is a previous episode on the case.
[Feature Photo: Samuel Olson/Facebook]
