Texas 7-year-old found dead in washing machine hours after parents report him missing

A 7-year-old Texas boy was discovered dead inside a washing machine just hours after his family reported him missing, according to authorities.

A cause of death has not yet been reached for Troy Koehler, a former foster child who was taken in by a couple in the Spring area in 2019. They reported him missing around 5:20 a.m. on Thursday, according to KHOU.

When officers arrived at the home, they conducted “a brief interview for the missing person report” with the missing boy’s parents, Lt. Robert Minchew of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit told reporters.

“Things that they observed led them to search the house thoroughly at that point. They found a deceased 7-year-old child in the washing machine in the garage.”

Investigators declined to say if there was water inside the machine or whether the lid was closed when they found Troy, who was wearing clothes at the time. It’s also unclear whether the child got into the washing machine on his own, with Minchew adding that he “could not comment” on if the boy’s death was the result of foul play.

“Whether he was killed by the washing machine or killed and placed in it, we’re just so far from that, I can’t comment,” he said.

“We don’t know what happened, but we intend to find out.”

Troy’s parents have since been questioned, which is standard procedure.