A seven-year-old boy was found dead inside a washing machine at his foster parents’ home in Texas on Thursday morning, two hours after police were told he was missing.
Troy Cholera’s body was found inside the washing machine in the garage of his family’s Spring, Texas home at 7:20 a.m., after his adoptive parents called 911 to report him missing around 5:20 a.m., according to Daily Mail.
It is not clear whether there was water in the machine and whether the tank lid was closed. The causes of his death are not yet known. Police have not commented on whether it was a staged murder or a tragic accident.
The criminal investigation is ongoing. Homicide detectives interviewed the parents separately (standard procedure when murder is suspected) after Troy’s body was discovered. According to police, he was adopted in 2019. The foster parents said there were no complaints or previous records of abuse in the home.
Harris County Sheriff Robert Minchew told reporters that Troy could have gone missing as early as 4 a.m. “We don’t know what happened, but we intend to find out,” he said. “Whether the washing machine killed him, or he was killed and placed in it, I can’t say yet.”
He said that when police questioned the parents while filling out a missing persons report, they realized there was no sign that the child had escaped as the doors and windows remained closed. Minchew said the child was found fully clothed inside the washing machine and it was not clear if he climbed in or was put in it.
Officials said Troy’s father was at home during the hours the “child went missing.” At this time, the mother was absent, working in the nearest hospital. Troy lived alone with his parents, the couple had no other children.
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