Troy Khoeler.Photo: twitter
Police in a Texas town have arrested and charged the parents of a 7-year-old boy, Troy Koehler, whowas found dead in a washing machinein their home.
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 bailhas 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.
“May he Rest In Peace,” concluded Gonzalez.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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.
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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.
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“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.
Other thanTroy and his parents, nobody else lived in the home.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
