$2M and $150K bonds set for adoptive parents charged in murder of 7-year-old found in Spring washer
SPRING, Texas (KTRK) -- Prosecutors say a 7-year-old child's adoptive parents grew tired of the boy allegedly stealing snacks, leading up to his murder.
Troy Khoeler's body was found in a washing machine at his home in Spring after he disappeared in July.
His adoptive parents, Jemaine and Tiffany Thomas, were arrested on Tuesday. Their charges were read in probable cause court early Wednesday morning.
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Jemaine appeared before a judge and his bond was set at $2 million. He's charged with capital murder.
Tiffany did not appear because the judge said she's suicidal. Her injury to a child by omission charge was still read, however. The 35-year-old's bond was set at $150,000.
It's been nearly four months since the adoptive parents first reported their 7-year-old son missing on July 28 from their home in the 4400 block of Rosegate in Spring's Birnamwood subdivision.
Tiffany called 911 to report her son missing around 5 a.m., after she got home from driving for Lyft.
The 42-year-old father reportedly told police that Troy was gone when he got home from work around 11 p.m. But detectives said his statements didn't add up because he also told officers he saw Troy sitting in the living room watching TV.
After a search of their home, deputies found Troy fully clothed in a top-load washing machine, located in the garage.
ORIGINAL STORY: 7-year-old boy reported missing in Spring found dead in washing machine, HCSO says
According to police paperwork, investigators have surveillance video showing Troy playing hide-and-seek by himself on the front lawn the night before he was murdered.
Hours later, the same video reportedly shows Jemaine arriving home, and then Tiffany. Investigators said no one else came in or went out of the house.
The medical examiner determined that Troy suffered from being beaten, suffocated and possibly drowned.
It was revealed in court that Troy was found with blood on his nose, a bump on his forehead and bruising on his legs. Blood was also found inside the washing machine and in the doorway.
Investigators extracted text messages from Tiffany and Jemaine's cell phones.
Court paperwork said Tiffany texted Jemaine that she "Threatened to put (Troy) in the stove and turn it on," until the little boy finally came clean about eating her oatmeal cream pie cookies.
Some of the text messages from Jemaine to Tiffany graphically describe how Jemaine said he was going to kill the 7-year-old.
The court paperwork said Jemaine allegedly covered Troy's mouth and nose with an unknown object, submerging him underwater.
Bond conditions were set for the couple. Should they bond out, both Jemaine and Tiffany can't come into contact with anyone under 17. They'll both have to wear GPS monitors, too.
"His death was ruled a homicide due to homicidal violence. The autopsy found the complainant had suffered from asphyxiation, possibly drowning. The complainant suffered both remote and new blunt-force trauma that was indicative of inflicted trauma," officials read in court.
Texas Child Protective Services confirmed to Eyewitness News that Troy was a foster child who was adopted by the family in 2019. CPS investigated the family twice for physical abuse before the boy's murder. Records reveal the school alerted officials after noticing facial bruises.
According to the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), caseworkers in Harris County juggle a daily caseload of about 16. In 2021, there were 24,494 investigations.
Statewide, the turnover rate is 35%. Mike Schneider who is an attorney and judge specializing in CPS investigations for nearly 25 years, said the turnover rate is what concerns him the most.
"We often find when children are injured, it is not the first time, when it comes to light," Scheider said. "There's often a history. Unfortunately, CPS has a lot of turnovers and I think that affects their ability to follow through on these investigations. CPS has lost about 3,000 employees in the last year. The ratio of cases to workers goes up. It's easy for these cases to get lost or a caseworker to not know enough about the past with this family because what's on paper or filed electronically doesn't reflect what the family is really like."
CPS will not answer questions about the outcome of their previous investigations with the family until the investigation is complete. A spokesperson said legally they are unable to discuss pending fatality cases.
"They appear to be an agency that is just overwhelmed in general," Schneider said.
WATCH: Judge reads court documents saying adoptive parents sent graphic texts threatening 7-year-old
