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.
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.
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.
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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