#Child found dead in motel room believed to be missing Houston boy

A dead child was found stuffed in a tote bag in a Texas motel room — and the body is believed to be a missing 6-year-old Houston boy, according to police and reports.

The body, discovered Tuesday in the bag in a Best Western in Jasper, is believed to be that of Samuel Olson, who was reported missing on May 27, KTVT reported.

“A possible suspect is in custody and will be interviewed by our homicide investigators,” Houston Police Chief Troy Finner tweeted. “More details will be provided at a news briefing [Wednesday]. I ask the entire Houston community to join HPD in sending prayers to Samuel and his family.”

The girlfriend of the boy’s father, Theresa Balboa, was being questioned by police as a suspect in the investigation, KTRK reported. A tip led cops to the Best Western in Jasper, which is two hours away from Houston, according to the report.

Detectives wearing protective clothing were reportedly processing the scene overnight. Samuel would have turned 6 years old over the weekend, the station reported.

Balboa told KTRK Monday she last saw Samuel on May 27 at his paternal grandmother’s house in southwest Houston. The woman was also spotted searching for the boy in Webster, according to the report.

“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,” Balboa told KTRK.

Balboa said she handed Samuel over to his mother because his parents are mired in a custody battle, but police told the Houston Chronicle they had yet to verify that claim.

Assistant Police Chief Larry Satterwhite said the last confirmed sighting of Samuel was at his school on April 30. The youngster may have been missing since that time, Satterwhite told the newspaper.

“We’re trying to move with as much urgency as we can to get him back safely,” Satterwhite told the newspaper Monday before Tuesday’s horrific find. “We’re still not where we need to be in terms of locating him.”