A couple has been arrested and charged four months after their seven-year-old foster son was found dead in a washing machine, the Harris County sheriff said on Tuesday, per ABC 13.

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez confirmed that 42-year-old Jemaine Thomas was charged with capital murder and Tiffany Thomas, 35, with injury to a child by omission after authorities discovered the dead body of their foster son, Troy Koehler, in a washing machine at the family's home in Spring, Texas, on July 28 after he was reported missing.

It was confirmed following an autopsy conducted by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science that Troy's death was a homicide. He was said to have "suffered new and previous injuries," according to Gonzalez.

It has been reported by NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston that court documents state that the youngster endured asphyxiation, blunt-force trauma and possible drowning and that police said he had sustained injuries to his face and several bruises.

Investigators also discovered blood on the washing machine and in other parts of the home, per KPRC.

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The documents say that officers arrived at the scene at about 5:20AM and that Jemaine and Tiffany told them their son had been missing since 4AM. Police found him inside a top-load washing machine in the garage.

Per documents, the couple was upset that Troy had eaten some of Tiffany's oatmeal cream pies and threatened to put him in an oven until he confessed. The docs also state that the seven-year-old had eaten Jemaine's doughnut sticks.

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Text messages obtained by KPRC show that Jemaine wrote the following when he found out the little one had eaten the sweet treats: “I need to get the [locks]. I’m going to end up kill[ing] him.”

According to the outlet, Troy, a foster child, was adopted in 2019.

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Per online jail records, Tiffany is being held on $150,000 bond and has a court date set for Thursday. Officials said she did not appear in court upon her arrest "for mental health reasons."

Jemaine is listed as an inmate in Harris County Jail records - no charges were mentioned. Police said his bond has been set at $2 million.

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A distraught mother has alleged that her three-year-old son "lay dead for hours" at a daycare without any staff realizing.

Three-year-old Conrad Ashcraft was found dead at Poppy's Playhouse day care facility. Credit: Google Maps

Conrad Ashcraft, a neurodivergent toddler described by family as sweet and loving, was found unresponsive and face down on a pillow by his mother, Tara Williams, when she arrived at Poppy's Playhouse 2 in Park Hills, Missouri, around 4:15PM on Friday (May 16).

“His mom was there at approximately at 4:15PM and found him deceased,” Conrad’s aunt, Lacey Hardie, told KSDK.

According to a redacted lawsuit filed by Williams and reviewed by PEOPLE, an employee at the daycare allegedly used their lower body to apply pressure to Conrad’s chest or abdomen to force him to sleep.

The suit claims that Conrad "suffered a fatal injury" as a result and that the daycare staff failed to recognize when the woman's son "was suffocating or had suffocated".

“He was nonverbal, so he couldn't say 'oh this hurts' or 'I can't breathe,'” the late boy's aunt revealed. The grieving aunt added that his "words were limited" and he had "recently learned to say I love you."

Conrad Ashcraft was a neurodivergent toddler. Credit: Coplin Funeral Home

The child’s death has launched a full investigation by the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department and Missouri’s child services.

The city of Park Hills recused itself from the case, citing a conflict of interest as the daycare is owned by former city councilwoman Spring Gray.

In a statement, the city confirmed that the facility’s ownership by a sitting council member prompted them to refer the matter to the sheriff’s office to ensure the investigation would be “conducted independently and without influence".

"We understand the community's grief and concern. The city has full confidence in the independent investigation and believes that accountability is essential, regardless of the circumstances," they added.

Following public outcry and pressure from the community, Gray submitted her resignation from the Park Hills City Council on Tuesday, May 20.

“Her decision follows recent developments involving her privately owned business,” the city shared in a statement.

The daycare’s license has since been suspended by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, effective immediately.

According to reports, Poppy’s Playhouse 2 has 10 days to appeal, though its Google listing now shows the location as “temporarily closed”.

The lawsuit also alleges that the daycare approved of, and failed to train staff against, techniques that involved using weight and pressure to subdue children into sleep.

"It's not just one person or the owner, it's everybody there who was witnessing the abuse and didn't say anything," Hardie said.

In a heartbreaking detail, the heartbroken aunt remembered her nephew as “just the sweetest boy. Everybody loved him so much, and he just completed our family, and now our family is missing a piece of our heart".

Conrad's obituary described him as a child who “loved swimming, Toy Story, Ms. Rachel, Cocomelon, and the movie Cars,” adding that he also adored pizza and spending time with his family.

Sheriff Jeffrey Crites issued a public appeal for information, noting that the investigation remains ongoing. “Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones affected by this heartbreaking event,” his statement read.

Community members have since organized a memorial outside Poppy’s Playhouse and are planning a benefit event at The Bullpen in honor of Conrad’s memory.

Featured image credit: Google Maps

A two-year-old and a six-week-old baby were left alone for three days with the dead bodies of their parents after their brutal murder.

Per NBC Washington, in May 2019, Michael Coleman, 39, his partner Rachel Ozuna, 34, and Rachel's son Kyruss Ozuna, 14, were found dead in their Virginia home after their throats were slashed in a horrific attack.

Kyruss's father tragically found the slain bodies of his son, Coleman, Ozuna, when he went to check on the teenager at the Spotsylvania County residence.

The late couple's toddler, a boy, and their baby girl were home during the attack and were found unharmed.

Just under a year after the harrowing triple murder, last April, five men - Durward Anthony Allen, 27, Jamal Kelvin Bailey, 30, Hugh Cameron Green, 30, James Christopher Myers, 30, and Montel Jaleek Wilson, 26 - were charged with first-degree murder.

On Wednesday, a preliminary hearing for Allen, Green, and Wilson took place. At the hearing, Spotsylvania officers revealed that it is thought that the parents and teenager were killed on May 26 and that the pair's young children had been entirely on their own for three days.

Bodycam footage played at the hearing showed Rachel Ozuna's body on the floor with her two-year-old beside her and her very young baby in a swinging infant seat nearby.

The upsetting 12-minute 911 call made by Kyruss's father was also played, which heard the dispatcher asking, "Where is your son?" to which Kyruss replies, "He's in the bathroom tied up and in a pool of blood."

The hearing also put forward a potential motive for the tragic homicide as it was revealed by the authorities that Coleman had been dealing drugs and would occasionally have as much as $100,000 in his home.

After reviewing cell phone records, investigators believe the suspects, who are all from Philadelphia, traveled down to Virginia on May 25, stayed overnight at a motel and went back to Philadelphia on May 26 after the murders.

Footage found on one of the suspect's phones reportedly showed the men at a strip club days later with a large amount of money, according to People.

A preliminary hearing is still pending for the other two defendants.

Featured image credit: Transformation Films / Pexels

A 10-year-old Indiana boy was crushed to death after his 340-pound foster mother sat on him for several minutes—then assumed he was pretending as he struggled to breathe.Police were called to the home on April 25 after reports of a child who wasn’t breathing. Credit: Indiana Department of CorrectionJennifer Lee Wilson, 48, was charged with reckless homicide over the death of Dakota Stevens, her foster child in Valparaiso, Indiana, CBS News reports.Police were called to the home on April 25 after reports of a child who wasn’t breathing. When officers arrived, they found Dakota with no pulse and a noticeable bruise on his lower neck and chest.Despite rushed attempts to save him, Dakota later died at the hospital.Wilson, who is 4’11” and weighs 340 pounds, told authorities that Dakota had run away earlier that day and she brought him back home from a neighbor’s house. She claimed he had been "acting bad" and threw himself on the floor.Dakota Levi Stevens, 10, died after his foster parent sat on top of him. Credit: Geiser Funeral HomesShe admitted to sitting on the boy—who was just 4’10” and weighed only 90 pounds—for about five minutes.Ring surveillance footage captured the horrifying moment Wilson was lying on Dakota’s neck and head as he screamed for help. His cries eventually faded.Wilson later said she believed Dakota was "faking" until she noticed his pale eyelids.A 340-pound woman sat on her foster son for several minutes—then assumed he was pretending as he struggled to breathe. Credit: Barrien County Sheriff's DepartmentShe can be heard shouting “Dakota!” and instructing another child to call 911. “Are you faking?” she asked him. “I was laying on him and he was acting bad,” Wilson said in the video.Two days later, South Bend Memorial Hospital confirmed Dakota had died.An autopsy showed the cause of death was mechanical asphyxia, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. The boy suffered organ and soft tissue damage, along with liver and lung hemorrhaging.A neighbor told investigators that Dakota had come to her house that day and begged her to adopt him, saying his "parents" had hit him in the face.Wilson, who lived with three adopted children, was sentenced in January to six years in prison, with one year suspended for probation, according to NBC5.After the incident, Indiana’s Department of Child Services confirmed her foster parent license has been suspended and is under review.Featured image credit: Barrien County Sheriff's Department

After discovering the shocking truth behind the death of their son, a mom and dad are now facing a murder charge.On July 26, 2023, local authorities in Coatesville, Pennsylvania were called to a home on on the 500 Block of East Lincoln Highway where an eight-year-old child identified as Hunter Hawa had suddenly gone into cardiac arrest.The responders who arrived at the scene reportedly discovered empty bags of heroin on the floor of the room where the little boy was found.Not only that, but prosecutors also stated that there was a shoebox containing hundreds of bags containing blue fentanyl and bags that were either empty or contained heroin residue.Credit: Kali9/GettyIn a statement posted to Facebook, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office gave further details of the incident."The Chester County District Attorney’s Office, the City of Coatesville Police Department, and the Chester County Detectives announce the arrest of Holly Back, 40, and Mousa Hawa, 41, of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, for charges related to the death of an eight-year-old child due to illegal drug exposure," they wrote.The statement continued, charging the pair with Murder of the Third Degree, Involuntary Manslaughter, and other related charges for the death of their son, Hunter.Officers noted the eight-year-old's condition and the condition of the child, witnessing that he had "ashen skin and cyanosis to his mouth and ears."CPR was administered before Hunter was taken to a nearby hospital where he was announced dead on arrival.District Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe spoke of the situation stating: "Parents have a sacred responsibility to care for their children. Day after day, these Defendants prioritized easy access to drugs over the health and safety of their child, leaving deadly fentanyl within arm’s reach. It is inexcusable. And it is murder."A further investigation into the matter revealed that there was "drug paraphernalia" littered all around the home."Detectives reviewed the Defendants’ cellphones and found messages from July 25, 2023, that showed that they were discussing drug use," the statement continued. "Defendant Hawa reported to investigators that the child victim knew not to touch the illegal drugs because both Defendants identified the paraphernalia as 'medicine,' and the child victim was not allowed to touch medicine unless given to the child."Samples taken from the child’s blood, urine, and hair were analyzed to determine what, if any, illegal drugs were in his system.The blood and urine samples contained cocaine and fentanyl. The hair sample showed traces of fentanyl in the child’s system, indicating additional exposure prior to July 26, 2023.According to an obituary, Hunter is survived by his grandfather, Abdallah Hawa of Coatesville; grandmother, Judy Hawa of Tennessee; uncle, Harold Nuse of Chester; aunt, Rachel Hawa of Bedford; aunt, Judi Pham and her spouse of Exton; Kristina Hawa of Coatesville and many cousins on his father's side.Fentanyl a hugely potent drug responsible for many accidental deaths. Credit: Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesOn Hunter's mother’s side of the family, he was predeceased by his grandfather, Matthew Back. He is survived by his grandmother, Barbara Back of Coatesville; uncle Matthew Back and his spouse, of Paradise; Jennifer Back from Gap and cousins.A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 12, 2024.Featured Image Credit: D-Keine/Getty