The Misery Machine - The Case of Samuel Olson

Starting point is 00:00:00 Samuel Dalton Ronald Olson was born in Texas on May 29, 2015 to parent Sarah in Dalton Olson. Samuel had wavy golden brown hair, blue eyes, and round cheeks. He had just started losing his baby teeth, and his wide smile showed off the space left behind when his two bottom teeth fell out. He loved Toy Story and all of the characters, including Forky. But his favorite characters were Buzz Lightyear and Woody. He was obsessed with the movies, re-watching them countless times. He carried his Buzz and Woody toys everywhere, and even had Toy Story pajamas and Buzz Lightyear tennis shoes.

Starting point is 00:00:41 Neighbors said he was a normal, happy kid who liked to run and play in the yard with his dad. He also loved dinosaurs, and his grandmother said he was so smart, he could tell you which ones were herbivores and which ones were carnivores. Samuel had a funny personality and was described as a happy and goofy kid. His grandmother said he was affectionate and gave awesome hugs. He was sweet, well-behaved, and according to his mother, definitely a mama's boy. He could always make her smile, and she said, I always loved when he called me beautiful.

Starting point is 00:01:13 By the time Samuel was two, Sarah and Dalton were struggling to get along. Dalton moved out in 2017, leaving Samuel and Sarah behind. A couple officially separated in April of 2019, just a month before the boy's fourth birthday. Sarah was awarded primary custody and Dalton had visitation rights and was supposed to pay child support. January of 2020, Dalton got an attorney and filed for sole custody, claiming he was concerned for Samuel's well-being. Two days later, Sarah filed for divorce. Now, sometime after the couple separated, Dalton started a new relationship with a woman named Teresa Balboa. Teresa had been the victim of DV in a previous relationship and had lost custody of her own children in 2019.

Starting point is 00:01:53 Either Teresa nor the father of those children showed up in court the day custody was decided. But the father, Alex Rizzo, wrote a letter to the judge. In it, he asked the judge to award custody of their two daughters to his mother. His relationship with Teresa had gotten toxic and dangerous for everyone involved. He said, I put myself in a position with that woman in which the only possible outcome was failure. Things had gotten so bad between Teresa and I, and we couldn't get along. It came an onslaught of verbal and physical abuse between the woman. the both of us, towards each other. Several years before she lost her girls, Teresa had also lost

Starting point is 00:02:29 custody of a son she had with another man. His unclear whether Dalton knew about her history and details weren't released about how she treated her children, but they weren't taken away because she was a good mother. Though they were arguing over custody in court, Sarah still dropped Samuel off for his regular weekend visit on January 18th. On Monday, Dalton refused to give him back. Still trying to be responsible and follow the law, Sarah arranged for a police deputy escort to his house on January 24th. The deputy then called the Harris County DA to ask if he could arrest Dalton for interfering with child custody, but the DA said no. Sarah had to leave and Samuel stayed with Dalton. Frustrated and heartbroken, Sarah filed a motion that day asking the court to make Dalton return Samuel to her. As we have seen in countless cases, even in the best of times, the legal system is agonizingly slow.

Starting point is 00:03:26 In 2020 was not the best of times. Nationwide lockdowns were imposed in March and Texas courts were shut down. For months, Sarah could do nothing to get her son back. Once the courts reopened, her case moved very slowly. Finally, Sarah and her mother named Tiffany Clark Farmaca were given court-ordered permission to attend San Francisco. Samuel's fifth birthday party on May 31st of 2020. Since Dalton was supposed to be there, she asked if he could be served with papers ordering him to let her take Samuel home. The court refused citing continued concerns with disease prevention protocols.

Starting point is 00:04:01 Still, she and her mother were both so happy to finally see Samuel, and he was happy to see them as well. He told his mother, I knew you would come for me, and stayed close to her during the entire party. Told his grandmother, he didn't like being with his dad and that he didn't like Teresa because they both. were so mean to him. Sarah had reached her limit. She had tried to do things the legal way, but nothing was working. She wanted her son back, so she decided to sneak Samuel out the side door and take him home with her. She drove away, Dalton jumped in front of her car, forcing her to stop. He then claimed that she ran him over. The party was held at Dalton's mother's house and several of his family members also attended, which meant he had plenty

Starting point is 00:04:45 of witnesses to back up his story. An argument broke out and Teresa started cursing at Sarah's mom, Tiffany. Between swear words, she said, I wish I had my bat so I could beat Sarah with it. Dalton told Sarah, you will never see or speak to Samuel ever again. The police were called and Sarah tried to explain that she was supposed to have custody of her son, but they didn't care because child custody was a civil matter. Their only concern was the criminal offense that Sarah had allegedly committed.

Starting point is 00:05:15 Several of Dalton's family members swore that she had tried to run him over, and Sarah was arrested. Before they took her away, she told Samuel she loved him and that everything would be okay. If he sat with Samuel in the back of a patrol car while the situation was sorted out, but eventually the police told her to leave as well. Samuel was crying when she left, or issued a protective order and no contact order against Sarah, and an exception was made so she had permission from the courts to talk to Dalton about Samuel's care. Sarah fought the assault charges but wasn't able to get them dismissed. She also continued to fight for custody, but her case stalled because Dalton kept moving his home address,

Starting point is 00:05:55 making it difficult for the court to serve him with a required paperwork. Each time he moved, Samuel had to get used to new living arrangements, and he had to be registered with a new school. She was legally allowed to talk to Samuel, but Dalton wouldn't put him on the phone. Sarah believed Dalton was using Samuel to punish her for their failed relationship. She thought he moved on purpose to evade the court orders. He claimed he misunderstood their legal situation and thought he had been made the custodial parent,

Starting point is 00:06:25 but he was mistaken. According to the courts, Sarah still had joint custody and his actions violated the law. In November, Dalton found out firsthand just how violent Teresa could be when the couple got into an altercation. Police were called and she was arrested for assaulting Dalton. Under the law, they described it as with the intent of impeding breath, so this means she tried to choke him. Another protective order was issued that stated Teresa should have no contact with Dalton or anybody in his family, including Samuel. Dalton was required by state law to inform Sarah of a protective order that affected her child, but he never notified her. Teresa was released on a $5,000 bond while waiting for her trial.

Starting point is 00:07:09 Soon, Dalton forgave Teresa. They resume spending time together. This is in direct violation of the restraining order. He also continued to let her babysit Samuel. In January of 2021, the couple announced their engagement on social media. Some time after that, Dalton moved again, this time with a family friend in Northwest Houston. Samuel was enrolled in Holbrook Elementary School, which was a short walk away from them. Neighbors often saw Dalton walking Samuel to school during the short time he lived there.

Starting point is 00:07:39 Samuel was last seen at the elementary school in April 30. 20th, 2021. He wasn't unenrolled and he didn't switch to virtual school, but he was never reported as truant even after several weeks. Or in a normal school year, his absence might have raised a red flag, but in a year that had started with online classes, no one raised an alarm whatsoever. Foring to Dalton, he sent Samuel to quarantine with Teresa, though there were no records of the boy being taken to a doctor and no reports that Samuel was sick at the time at all. The arrangement was also very unusual. Teresa was living in an apartment with her roommate Benjamin Rivera, who also happened to be her ex-boyfriend.

Starting point is 00:08:17 Dalton continued to live separately with a friend in Houston. It is unclear why Dalton thought a woman who had attacked him and that woman's ex-boyfriend were both suitable caregivers for his five-year-old son. Samuel's paternal grandmother, Tanya Olson, claimed that she saw Samuel on May 2nd at a get-together at her house. She claimed she talked to him on the phone later that week. She was already planning his sixth birthday party. On May 24th, Sarah was optimistic. She and Dalton were due in court for a custody hearing, and she would finally be able to take Samuel home.

Starting point is 00:08:52 However, Dalton's lawyer filed another motion, and the case was rescheduled yet again. By this time, she hadn't seen or talked to her little boy in almost a year. Three days later, Samuel was reported missing, and Teresa said Sarah had taken him. From the beginning, this story was strange. Teresa and Dalton waited over 10 hours before calling the police. He claimed he was taken at 7.30 that morning, but didn't report the alleged crime until 6 p.m.

Starting point is 00:09:21 When police arrived at her apartment on McAvoy Drive to take a report, Teresa said Sarah and a fake cop showed up at her apartment that morning and made her hand over the boy. In her written statement to the police, Teresa said, Samuel and I went to the backyard to feed my two dogs. While we walked back to the car, we saw Sarah Olson and a police officer standing in the driveway. Sarah pointed at Samuel and myself saying, that's my son, and she took him. The officer told me I need to release Samuel or I would go to jail because I have no legal rights to him. Teresa also described the outfits Samuel and Sarah were wearing, adding more details to her elaborate story.

Starting point is 00:10:00 Investigators from missing persons immediately contacted Sarah and asked if she had seen Samuel. She said she hadn't, but this was the first of her. first time she had heard that he was gone. Based on Sarah's previous behavior, police were likely suspicious, but Sarah was able to provide an alibi backed up with surveillance camera footage that showed she hadn't left her home at all that day. The next day on May 28th, police questioned all of Samuel's family members. Dalton filed his own written statement with the police in which he confirmed everything

Starting point is 00:10:32 Teresa had said. He wrote, the officer demanded Teresa to turn Samuel over to him or she, would go to jail. Teresa complied with the officer. He wrote as if he had witnessed the events as she described them, though that would have been impossible. As they continued interviews with the family, Houston police were frustrated because Teresa's story kept changing. You might remember in previous videos us mentioning Texas Equalsearch. They are a nonprofit group that helps find missing people. That same day they posted about Samuel on their social media page. Houston police also posted their own missing persons alert the next day. In a horrible coincidence, it happened to be on Samuel's

Starting point is 00:11:14 birthday. Both alerts said Samuel was last seen with an unknown man and described the outfit the boy was wearing, a gray t-shirt, jean shorts, buzz light ear tennis shoes, and mismatched superhero socks. May 31st, Equusurch brought in ATVs to help search wooded and grassy areas surrounding Teresa's apartment, while other volunteers, including Dalton and Teresa, went door-to-door handing out flyers with Samuel's picture. During the search, the head of Equusurch, Tim Miller, tried to get more information from the couple. When Dalton complained to him that in the past, Sarah had almost run him over, Tim said, I don't care what Sarah almost did. Your son isn't almost missing. Told Teresa, I'm so damn disappointed in you. Every word you're saying is a lie. He told Dalton

Starting point is 00:12:00 his girlfriend was responsible for whatever had happened to his son. After that conversation, Teresa went inside her apartment, changed her clothes, and said she was going to go pass out more flyers. But instead, she disappeared. The following morning, Dalton's mother, Tanya, spoke to the media, begging for information and swearing that she and her son had no idea whatsoever what had happened. When asked about Teresa, Tanya said she was really good with Samuel. She said she does flashcards with him, takes him to the beach, and plays with him. She also defended her son, saying,

Starting point is 00:12:32 Dalton is not a bad father. He would never harm that baby and loves him to death. He would die for him. During the same conference, she admitted the family didn't know where Teresa was, saying, Teresa, if you're watching this, you need to contact the Houston Police Department. If you're telling the truth, you have God on your side. That same day, police got a warrant to search Teresa's apartment and towed away her Black Dodge Avenger. That night, a tip came in to Texas crime stoppers that led police to a hotel,

Starting point is 00:13:04 room in Jasper. The tipster Dylan Walker said Teresa had called him the day before and said she needed help after an altercation. She met him in a Walmart parking lot in Cleveland, Texas, and asked him to drive her to a storage facility near her apartment about an hour's drive away. At her storage unit, he helped her move a black and yellow plastic container into the back of his truck. She wanted to go to Louisiana, but he drove her as far as Jasper, where he rented room 106 at the best Western Inn under his name. He helped her carry the plastic bin up to her room, but quickly left because the smell coming from the bin was horrific. Crime stoppers passed the tip on to Houston Police, who coordinated the Jasper Police Department. Officers went to the room and knocked but got no

Starting point is 00:13:52 answer. Hotel staff supplied them with a spare key to open the door, and once inside, one of the officers noted the smell of decomposing human remains. They found Teresa in the bathroom and asked where Samuel's body was. She said it was inside the box. When they opened the box, they found a small human body wrapped in a black plastic sheet and duct tape. Examination of the hotel's surveillance footage showed Dylan and Teresa dragging the box out of his truck at 3.30 the previous morning. Though they suspected they had found Samuel, they had to positively identify the remains before they could be sure. The body was transported to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences for autopsy. On June 2nd, police confirmed they had found Samuel,

Starting point is 00:14:40 and his death had occurred weeks before on May 12th, 17 days before his 6th birthday. When Dalton's lawyer was filing to reschedule the custody hearing, the boy was already dead. While Teresa was crying on national TV and passing out missing persons flyers, she was knew exactly where Samuel was in a storage unit just down the road from her apartment. Dalton and Teresa's attempt to frame Sarah made the DA reconsider what happened the day police arrested her and stopped her from taking Samuel home. Dalton's account had changed several times and one of the witnesses admitted they really hadn't seen what happened. On June 4th, the DA dropped the assault charges against Sarah in the interest of justice.

Starting point is 00:15:28 continued their investigation into Samuel's murder, particularly focusing on Benjamin. He eventually confessed to helping Teresa move Samuel's body, but he denied playing a larger role. He said Teresa called him in mid-May and said, I think I've killed him. Initial media reports stated the call happened on May 10th, but this was changed once investigators matched his statements against his cell phone records and other evidence. Using all that information, investigators concluded that Samuel died on May 12th. got the call, Benjamin went home where he saw Samuel's bruised body on a bed in the apartment. He helped Teresa move the boy to the bathtub where they left him for two days.

Starting point is 00:16:09 Text messages, they discussed moving his body again because the apartment's maintenance man needed to enter the apartment. Benjamin went to the local Walmart and bought duct tape, a large plastic sheet, and a black and yellow storage container. Officers found a receipt for those items during their investigation. He helped Teresa wrap Samuel up and shove his body into the bin which stayed in the apartment for several more days. If you are wondering where Dalton was during the week and a half that his son's body was being desecrated and stored an apartment, well, we're wondering that too. On May 22nd after he had been dead for 10 days, they moved Samuel's body to the storage unit. Police recovered surveillance video showing a man and a woman arriving at that facility. The camera didn't capture their faces,

Starting point is 00:16:55 but the truck they were in matched the make and model of Benjamin's pickup truck, and an identical plastic box sat in the truck's bed. On June 23rd, Benjamin Rivera was arrested in charge with tampering with evidence involving a human corpse. Benjamin's bond was set for $100,000, and he bonded out the next day. He was required to wear a GPS monitor at all times, and he was not allowed near anyone under the age of 18. Dylan Walker was arrested on June 24th and charged with tampering with evidence with the intent to impair. His bond was set for $125,000 and he too bonded out the same day.

Starting point is 00:17:36 No hearing has been set and it seems likely he will not face future charges, perhaps because he helped the police catch Teresa in the hotel room. Teresa was arrested the day she was found with Samuel's body and initially charged with tampering with evidence involving a human corpse. Her original bond was set at $500,000, but it was raised to $600,000 once the court realized she was already out on bond for trying to choke Dalton the previous November. On July 8th, she was charged with capital murder and her bond was revoked. Dalton's mother, Tanya, said she was shocked that Teresa was arrested. Dalton kept quiet, speaking only through his attorney, who said the father was devastated by the whole situation and had no reason to suspend.

Starting point is 00:18:22 something was off with Teresa. Dalton continued to deny any responsibility. After many delays, Teresa's trial was scheduled to begin on August 7, 2023, with Judge Hazel Jones presiding. Prosecutor Andrea Beale said she reviewed

Starting point is 00:18:38 all the evidence in preparation for the trial, and it corroborated the statements Benjamin made. Some of that evidence involved the murder weapon used to hit Samuel in an object she struck Samuel against. No details have never been released to the public. The evidence also included the medical examiner's report, which listed his cause of death as homicidal violence

Starting point is 00:18:58 with blunt head trauma. Taken all together, along with Teresa's arrest in the hotel room with the remains, he was confident she could meet the burden in this case and get justice for Little Samuel. Teresa must have agreed because she accepted a plea deal. If she had been found guilty of capital murder, she would have been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Instead, she pled guilty to first-degree murder and admitted she killed Samuel by hitting him with a blunt object. She was sentenced to 52 years in prison and must serve at least 26 years before becoming eligible for parole. As part of her plea, she agreed that she could not appeal her conviction or her sentence. She was sent to the William P. Hobby prison in Marlon, Texas.

Starting point is 00:19:44 She will be eligible for parole on June 3, 2047. Andy Kahn, a victim advocate from crime stoppers, vowed his organization. would work to block her chances at parole. He said, in 26 years, we will be there to make sure she does not breathe free air. If she served her whole sentence, she would be released in 2073. After the plea, Harris County District Attorney Kim Og said, this woman robbed the world of a little boy with a big smile and bright future, and there is no prison sentence long enough for someone like her. We have now guaranteed that she has been held accountable. We'll serve decades in prison and can never appeal her sentence, and that is, in small measure, justice.

Starting point is 00:20:28 Many of Samuel's family members attended the sentencing hearing on May 17, including Dalton and Sarah. Dalton clenched his fists during the proceedings and left before any of the family got up to give their statements. In her impact statement, Sarah expressed anger and frustration because Teresa could be paroled after 26 years. She said, my son didn't even get six years of of life, and she still gets a chance at one. This is not justice. She also expressed that she had waited so long to see Samuel again. It had been a year since she hugged or kissed her little boy, and that she could, and I quote, never have closure because of the state the body was returned in. I could not hold him one last time. When asked if anyone else would be charged, including Dalton,

Starting point is 00:21:16 prosecutor Beale said, I don't believe so. This was not the news Sarah wanted to hear. She thought Dalton should face legal repercussions for his actions. She said, he was supposed to keep our son safe. He didn't. He took him away from me. For what? To have him murdered? She said Dalton tried to call her a week after Samuel's body was found, but she did not

Starting point is 00:21:37 take his call. It seems unlikely that Dalton will ever face charges related to his son's death. Prosecutor Beale also said the DA would not upgrade the charges against Benjamin beyond the charge of tampering with evidence. He still hasn't had his trial because of multiple postponements, most of them at the request of his lawyer. His trial date is currently set for June 3, 2024. He doesn't file additional motions, that is. As of the date of this recording in April of 2024, he is still out on bond.

Starting point is 00:22:09 It will update you if we get any new information. After the state released Samuel's body, Dalton continued to torment Sarah. She wanted to cremate his body, but Dalton wouldn't agree. forcing Sarah to jump through hoops in order to make that final decision for her son. Her mother, Tiffany, organized a small private memorial held on July 10th. Only family and close friends attended, celebrating his short life with pictures and stories. Tiffany said losing her grandson left her broken beyond repair. When Samuel's birthday approached in May of 2022, she posted a request.

Starting point is 00:22:45 She said, please pray for my daughter as this weekend passes. On May 29th, Samuel would have turned seven. Pray for all the children split between two families and being kept from one side out of spite or selfishness. The person that suffers most is the child. She could never understand why Teresa hurt Samuel, especially since he was always so well-behaved and always did what you asked him to do.

Starting point is 00:23:11 She couldn't imagine what he could have done to make her so angry. Samuel's other grandmother, Tanya, also, misses her grandson every day. The first Christmas without him, she attended the annual holiday Memorial Tree Ceremony hosted by Crime Stoppers, and she's gone every year since.

Starting point is 00:23:30 Along with other people who have lost family members to homicide, she created a personalized ornament, then hung it on the tree. This past year, she decorated her ornament with a picture of Samuel, rows of eggs because that was his nickname for her, in a drawing of Buzz and Woody

Starting point is 00:23:46 from Toy Story. Though the two families may never forgive each other, one thing they have in common is grief and love for Samuel. Sarah said that her faith in God and everyone's prayers helped her to survive her loss. She said, the prayers, my prayers, y'all's prayers, I believe this really is getting me through this. Other than that, I don't know. I don't know how I'm standing here talking to you. I don't know how I'm processing it other than I have faith in God. A post on her social media when Samuel was missing gave a biblical explanation of his name.

Starting point is 00:24:20 It read, Samuel, though counted among the greatest of the judges like Moses, is also numbered among the prophet. He was not a warrior, but like Moses, was a hero who rallied the spirit of his people in the midst of oppression, keeping alive their hope and faith. That hope and faith held her up during the days he was missing and continued to support her when she knew he was gone. The statement she released through her lawyer, she said, All I want is justice for Samuel, my baby.

Starting point is 00:24:48 I do not want people to forget Samuel's name. After Sarah was finally able to have him cremated, she said, I was waiting so long to get my son back. This isn't how I wanted to celebrate him coming back, so it hurts. It hurts having to do this because it wasn't supposed to be like this. She also spoke publicly about the flaws in our current legal system, like the problems she faced while trying to enforce her custodial rights, she said. a lot of change needs to happen in the legal system.

Starting point is 00:25:15 It's not just my kid. It's not just me. It's a lot of people going through. Not the exact same thing, but the same thing. She also had a message for other parents. Don't stop fighting for your babies. Do whatever it takes. Just make sure they're safe.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Samuel Olson

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