Missing boy, 7, found dead in washing machine, TX officials say. Dad sentenced

The father of a missing 7-year-old boy found dead inside a washing machine in his family’s house has been sentenced to prison, Texas officials say.

The sentencing comes three years after Troy Koehler was killed, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said in a July 30 news release. If he was still alive today, Troy would be in fifth grade, officials said.

“Now, we will never know what he could have become. His future, his dreams, his life--were stolen by someone who was supposed to love, protect, and nurture him,” Sheryl Reed, who was Troy’s first grade teacher, said in court, according to the release.

In July 2022, Troy was reported missing by his adoptive father, Jermaine Thomas, KHOU reported. Thomas told police he arrived at his Spring home before midnight and saw the front door was unlocked, and Troy was gone — but deputies soon found him dead in a washing machine at the address, according to officials.

An autopsy revealed Troy had suffered injuries prior to dying, some new and some old, officials said, the station reported.

Investigators said there were signs of asphyxiation, blunt-force trauma and evidence he possibly drowned, KPRC reported.

Troy’s parents were angry with him because they believed he had eaten some of their food, according to investigators, including his mother’s oatmeal cream pies and his father’s doughnut sticks, the outlet reported.

His mom, Tiffany Thomas, threatened to put him into the oven until he confessed, officials said. Jermaine Thomas sent a text message regarding his donut sticks which read, “I need to get the (locks). I’m going to end up kill(ing) him,” according to court records, the outlet reported.

Reed told the courtroom that Troy was a leader and he loved to read, according to the DA’s office.

“If he finished early, he’d head straight to our class library. Then he’d go right back to share those stories with classmates...always lifting others up with (the) joy he carried,” she said.

“But Troy wasn’t just leading his classmates--he led me, too. He led me to become a better teacher, a better mentor, and a better person. His energy, his smile, and his love for learning reminded me daily why I chose this path.”

Jermaine Thomas was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison, officials said.

Spring is a roughly 25-mile drive north from Houston.