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The parents of a 7-year-old child from Harris County are now being investigated for their possible involvement in the death of Troy Koeher who was discovered dead in a washing machine after going missing.
After the 7-year-old boy's death was determined to be a homicide, the adoptive parents were arrested in Texas. The small child was discovered fully clothed and deceased inside a washing machine.
Officials said on Tuesday that Jermaine Thomas, 42, was charged with capital murder and Tiffany Thomas, 35, was charged with damage to a child by omission months after the boy's passing.
Boy Found Dead Inside Washing Machine
Troy Khoeler, 7, was reported missing by the couple in the early hours of July 28. This is when the inquiry got underway. Around 5:20 in the morning, deputies showed up at the family's residence in Spring, Harris County.
According to KPRC2, the parents informed the responding deputies that the boy had been missing since 4 am. The front entrance of the property was unlocked when Jermaine arrived from work the previous evening, the speaker said at the time.
"It's simply that I arrived home, I was about to enter in the door like just now, but I didn't have my keys, so I placed my keys to the door handle and it just opened. I don't know what comes next," Jermaine Thomas said, as per KHOU 11.
Khoeler was discovered inside a top-load washing machine housed in the garage after a thorough check of the residence. After being interrogated, the parents were later released. After an autopsy indicated that Khoeler had both new and old wounds before his body was discovered inside the washing machine, his death was deemed to be a homicide.
Gonzalez stated that an "extensive investigation" into the boy's killing led to the arrests of Jermaine and Tiffany. When questioned about the boy's injuries and how they occurred, the sheriff provided no more information. He told ABC13, "I don't have all those details.
Troy Koehler's Homicide Case
According to Texas CPS, Khoeler was raised in foster care before being adopted by the two suspects in 2019. The family has a history with Child Protective Services, according to officials, who did not provide any other information. Using drone aircraft and canine resources, the deputies spent more than an hour looking for Troy Koehler within the house and outside the area. The deputies went back into the house at 7:10 a.m. and carried out another search.
At that point, a deputy who was investigating the garage and utility room claimed he saw Troy Koehler's body in the bottom of the wash tub after peering through the top-loading washing machine's cover. The deputy said that while trying to determine whether little Troy Koehler was still breathing, he called to other deputies.
According to court records, as Jermaine was doing the same, the deputy was forced out of the way and the kid was dragged out of the washer by Jermaine after reaching into the washing machine. Deputies instructed Jermaine to lay Troy on the ground, and other deputies started CPR while removing and arresting Jermaine and Tiffany.
One deputy who arrived on the scene and entered Troy's home to assist him claimed he found Troy's clothing to be damp and smelled urine coming from the body. Troy's underwear was visible because his jeans were pushed down to his knees, and his upper legs were bruised.
Authorities concluded that Troy Koehler was not likely inside the washing machine as it went through a wash cycle while they were analyzing the scene. According to court records, it was discovered throughout the inquiry that Troy Koehler had been the subject of two previous CPS investigations that were started by school staff after they reported suspicious injuries to the authorities.
The investigations, which both took place in 2022, were about physical abuse that left victims with bruised faces and blacked eyes. According to court filings, authorities discovered a discussion thread between the parents' cellular phones in which both parents showed extreme disdain for Troy.
Tiffany found a text conversation in the texts where Troy confessed to eating her oatmeal crime pies and told her to "threaten to put him in the stove and turn it on," Tiffany informed Jermaine. Per Fox26 Houston, Jermaine and Tiffany Thomas have been charged as a result of the information that was made public. The parents' bond information is unknown.
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