Cries For Help Go Unanswered Samuel Olson’s Story By Jill Pruitt Allred
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n May 27, 2021, Samuel Olson was reported missing, but that is not really where the story begins. Samuel’s death was a perfect storm of total system failures from the family courts, the criminal courts, bail reform, and the district attorney’s office. Samuel was almost saved several times before his death. Still, every time Sarah Olson, Samuel’s mother, tried to get Samuel back from his father, Dalton Olson, she could not. Either it was Covid, or they could not get in front of the judge. This case was not on my radar when I initially saw the first post on the Texas EquuSearch Facebook page repeating the claims made to police by Dalton Olson and his fiancé, Theresa Balboa. The post stated that Sarah had arrived at the home of Theresa Balboa’s mother in the 8800 block of McAvoy Dr. with a “Fake Cop” and took Samuel at approximately 7:30 am on May 27, 2021; however, they didn’t report Samuel missing until around 6:00 pm that same day. I immediately thought it was a simple child custody matter and not a missing child, and I certainly never let myself believe this child was dead. Sarah asked me to help her find her son, and I could not say no. I currently work as an advocate, and before working on these cases, I was a legal assistant for many years and then transitioned into contract legal investigations. That experience allowed me to competently access and understand the very messy situation that Sarah and Dalton’s Divorce had become. Samuel was used as a weapon to punish Sarah. From court documents and 16 | Mv | July + August 2021
speaking with Sarah, I also knew that it was likely that the judge was going to order that Samuel be returned to Sarah very soon. On May 28, 2021, when I first spoke with Sarah, she told me that she did not have Samuel, and she did not know who did. I asked her a series of questions about the people in Samuel’s life and about the court orders currently in place. After Sarah explained her story from the beginning, I felt this would become more a fight for justice than a return of Samuel to his mother.
The First System Failure:
trict Attorney’s office declined, and Samuel remained with Dalton. That same day, Sarah filed a Habeas motion to have the court return Samuel to her, and that is when Dalton began moving Samuel from place to place.
The Second System Failure: Then approximately six weeks later, the entire world stopped because of the Covid-19 Global Pandemic, and no one knew how or what to do when the courts shut down. Over the next year, Sarah’s cases would see minimal movement through the respective court systems due to Covid. On May 31, 2020, Sarah was finally allowed to see Samuel again at his fifth (and sadly now final) birthday party. According to Sarah’s mother, Sarah asked the process server to be there as well to serve Dalton, but again she was told no, due to Covid concerns.
On January 18, 2020, Sarah’s mom dropped Samuel off with Dalton’s mom for a weekend visit. Dalton refused to return Samuel on January 20, 2020. On January 24, 2020, Sarah went to Dalton’s current address in Katy, escorted by a Precinct 5 Constable. While there, the deputy called the Harris The Third System Failure: County District Attorney’s office to ask if Sarah and her mother attended Samuel’s they would accept charges against Dalton birthday party. When Samuel saw Sarah after for interfering with child custody. The Disso many months of being kept apart, he said,
