STILL A MYSTERY

Dad Says Door Was Left Open Before 7-Year-Old Boy Was Found Dead in Washing Machine

Police have not released a cause of death for the child and released both parents after questioning.

The father of a 7-year-old Texas boy found dead in the family’s washing machine told reporters that when he came home hours before the shocking discovery, the front door to the home was open.

“I put my keys to the door handle and then it just open,” Troy Koehler’s dad, who did not give his name, said as he returned home from questioning by police, according to KHOU.

“Anything else after that, I don’t know.”

A reporter asked him if at that time, around 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, Troy was “nowhere to be found” in the house—and he replied, “No,” and cut the conversation short.

Troy was a former foster child adopted in 2019, according to authorities. At 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, his parents called police to report him missing from their home in Spring.

Officers who responded saw no sign of forced entry and no sign of Troy in the surrounding area. They then began searching the house and garage, where they discovered the boy, fully clothed, dead in a top-loading washer.

Investigators did not say whether there was water in the machine or whether Troy’s body bore any signs of trauma. An autopsy will determine the cause of death.

The father did not explain why police were not called until the following morning. He and his wife were taken to the police station for questioning on Thursday and later released.

No one has been charged with any crime, and it’s not clear if Troy’s death was an accident or if someone placed him in the machine.

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Tracy Connor

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