Police in Texas have arrested and charged the parents of a 7-year-old boy, Troy Koehler, who was found dead in a washing machine in their home.
via People:
On Wednesday, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced that after an “extensive investigation,” Jermaine Thomas, 42, and Tiffany Thomas, 35, are in custody and charged with Capital Murder. An additional charge of Injury to a Child by Omission was filed against Tiffany, Gonzalez said in the Twitter news alert.
Jermaine and Tiffany — who are believed to have adopted Troy, a foster child, in 2019 — were booked in the Harris County Jail, the sheriff noted.
Tiffany’s bail has been set at $150,000 and her court date is scheduled for Thursday, according to her booking report. The booking report for Jermaine is currently not on the jail’s website.
It’s unclear if Tiffany and Jermaine have retained lawyers who can comment on their behalf.
Gonzalez added in the tweet that an autopsy for Koehler was done by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, which revealed that Troy “suffered new and previous injuries.”
Authorities determined his death was a homicide.
“May he Rest In Peace,” concluded Gonzalez.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
On a July morning at approximately 5:20 am local time, Troy’s parents filed a missing person report, Lt. Robert Minchew of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit said in a press conference captured by Houston’s KHOU.
When officers arrived at the home, they “did a brief interview for the missing person report” with Troy’s parents, Minchew said. “Things that they observed led them to search the house thoroughly at that point. They found a deceased 7-year-old child in the washing machine in the garage.” He later said Troy was found at 7:20 a.m.
The homicide unit was then called to investigate, and the child’s parents were “separated and detained, which is standard procedure,” Minchew said.
When asked what caused police to search the home, Minchew said it was “standard police procedure,” adding, “It was early in the morning, there was no indication that the door had been opened, or a window opened. After searching the neighborhood, they were unable to find the child. So the next logical step, I believe, is to search the house.”
He added that it’s unclear if the child got into the washing machine on his own and said that he “could not comment” on any potential foul play. No arrests had been made at the time of the news briefing.
“It’s obviously a traumatic situation for the family and anybody involved. It’s just more conducive to get them away from the house,” Minchew said of Troy’s parents.
Authorities are waiting on the medical examiner’s office to determine Troy’s cause of death. He was clothed when found in the top-loading washing machine. Minchew could not confirm if it was closed or open.
Other than Troy and his parents, nobody else lived in the home.
Rest easy, little Troy.
Forensic Sciences conducted an autopsy on Troy Koehler (7). The autopsy revealed that Troy suffered new and previous injuries. Troy’s death was ruled a Homicide. May he Rest In Peace. #HouNews 2/2
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) November 16, 2022
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