Troy Koehler, seven years old, was reported missing on July 28, 2022 by his adoptive parents, Jermaine Thomas, 42, and Tiffany Thomas, 35.
According to Lt. Robert Minchew of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit, when police arrived at the home, they questioned the couple and decided to search the home.
Troy Koehler was found dead by police in a top-loading washing machine in the home’s garage, fully clothed.
When asked by the press why the police felt they should search the home, Lt. Minchew said it was “standard police procedure,” and that there was no indication of forced entry and the neighborhood had been searched, so, “the next logical step, I believe, is to search the house.”
At the time of the “disappearance,” Troy’s father was at the home, and his mother was at work at a local hospital.
The couple had taken the boy in as a foster child and adopted him in 2019.
Police conducted a full investigation, and on November 15, 2022, almost four months after Troy’s death, his adoptive parents were arrested and charged with his murder. According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, they are being held at the Harris County jail. The father is charged with capital murder and the mother is charged with injury to a child by omission.
Court documents state that text messages show that Mr. Thomas became enraged because Troy had eaten his doughnut sticks. He wrote, “I need to get the (locks). I’m going to end up kill(ing) him.”
The documents also reveal information from the coroner’s report, which states that Troy died from asphyxiation, blunt-force trauma, and possible drowning. Police said he had multiple bruises on his body and injuries to his face. Blood was found on the washing machine and in other areas.
The father is being held on a $2 million bond, and the mother is being held on a $150,000 bond.