'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Texas woman Gloria Williams and her boyfriend Brian Coulter have been arrested after the skeletal remains of the former's 9-year-old were found at a house in Houston.
The pair have also been charged with neglecting three other children who were abandoned in the same home and confined in a room with the corpse of their dead sibling for over a year.
On Sunday, October 23, the police arrived at CityParc II at West Oaks Apartments and found three children, 15, 10, and 7, in a “deplorable condition." They also discovered the decomposing corpse of a 9-year-old, who reportedly passed away in 2020.
Authorities were alerted after the eldest child called 911 to report he had been living alone with his siblings and the corpse of another brother. The human remains of the deceased child were later found under a blanket.
Officials detained Gloria Williams and Brian Coulter as part of an investigation during a welfare check on Sunday but released them after the interview. As per ABC News, the couple was arrested on Tuesday from a public library while searching for news articles about themselves.
Everything to know about Gloria Williams
Gloria Williams is a 35-year-old woman residing in Houston, Texas. She is a mother of four children and was recently arrested for abandoning her three children while concealing the death.
According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Williams has been charged with failure to provide adequate supervision, failure to provide medical care, and causing injury to a child by omission. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Coulter has been charged with being an accomplice to the death of the 9-year-old and possible homicide.
The Daily Mail reported that Gloria Williams was previously charged for failing to enroll her children in school. In 2019 and 2020, the Alief Independent School District filed truancy papers against the woman for her children’s consistent absenteeism.
However, those charges were dismissed after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities also revealed that Gloria Williams had a history with child protection services, but no investigation was active when the children were found.
What happened to the children?
Gloria Williams’ three children were found in a miserable state inside a Texas apartment along with their dead brother. Her eldest child mentioned that the parents left the siblings to survive on their own nearly one year ago.
The children were immediately rushed to the hospital, where doctors found fractures in the 7-year-old's face. The remaining children were declared clinically malnourished. Meanwhile, the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office mentioned that the 9-year-old was a victim of a homicide and died due to “blunt force injuries.”
The 15-year-old reportedly looked after his remaining two siblings and survived by collecting food from unsuspecting neighbors. Erica Chapman, a resident who often fed the eldest child, mentioned that she was unaware of two other children inside the house.
Chapman saw Gloria Williams visiting the house on rare occasions with snacks and realized the teen must require food. She also mentioned that the child refused to take cooked meals and only asked for packaged food.
Another resident, Trevor Thompson, said he met the teen when the latter asked for a charger after the electricity at his home was cut off. The duo developed a bond and he began offering food to the child. He also mentioned that the 15-year-old was often terrified of food being poisoned.
A neighbor next door also complained about a foul smell emanating from the apartment where the children lived. She mentioned that the odor was strong enough to keep her from turning on the air conditioner in her room.
Officials also discovered that Gloria Williams lived only fifteen minutes away from her abandoned children. It was also mentioned that the eldest child texted his mother about warning the police as he failed to survive the terrible condition at his home.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the gruesome case. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a statement that the situation was “horrific and tragic.”
“Very horrific situation here, very tragic. I've been in this business for a long time and I've never heard of a scenario like this, it really caught me by surprise. We are trying to identify next of kin to determine exactly what happened and how we got to this point... We're going to make sure we conduct a thorough follow-up investigation.”
Meanwhile, local child protective services have taken custody of the three children. Authorities are looking for extended family members or relatives to investigate the situation further.
