The mother of the 8-year-old boy whose skeleton was found in the home where he apparently had been abandoned with his siblings in Houston was arrested Tuesday, Texas authorities reported.
Her boyfriend, Brian Coulter, 31, was also arrested and charged with the murder of the minor.
The woman, identified as Gloria Williams, 35, is charged for her part with a felony of injuring a child by omission, failing to provide adequate medical care and supervision, and tampering with evidence.
Both were sent to Harris County Jail without bond pending appearance before a judge.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez did not rule out further charges being brought against them as the investigation progresses, The Associated Press news agency reports.
The Harris County coroner determined that the minor suffered
multiple injuries caused with a blunt object
, for which his death has been considered a homicide.
["You stabbed me": this boy survived a family massacre of which his father is the suspect]
The story of these four brothers, ages 7 to 15, has shocked American society.
Last Sunday, the older brother called the Harris sheriff's office to alert that the remains of one of his brothers lay in one of the rooms of the house they shared.
The authorities discovered that the minors had been abandoned and that they had been surviving alone for months.
The 8-year-old boy had been dead for a year and
his body was already decomposed
.
The sheriff, who described the situation as "
heartbreaking
", explained that the brothers lived in "
deplorable conditions
" and that the older one was in charge of taking care of and feeding the others.
His apartment, which is in a housing complex,
lacked electricity
.
A neighbor had bought them food and helped them recharge a cell phone.
The authorities focus part of the investigations on understanding why no one alerted about the situation that the minors were going through.
The younger siblings
appeared to be malnourished and physically injured
, according to the sheriff's office.
The three were taken to a hospital and by order of a judge are already under the guardianship of the state Department of Family Services.
The last time they went to school was in May 2020, according to the Alief School District.
