Mother's boyfriend charged with murder after 8-year-old boy's remains found with abandoned siblings

The boyfriend of the mother of an 8-year-old boy has been charged with murder after the child's remains were discovered in a Houston home along with his three abandoned siblings, authorities said.

One of the children, a 15-year-old, called the authorities and said his brother had been dead for one year and his body was in the room next to his, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Monday.

The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office said the boy's manner of death was a homicide, according to Houston ABC station KTRK.

His mother, Gloria Williams, 35, now faces multiple charges, including injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence (human corpse), Gonzalez announced Tuesday night.

Her boyfriend, Brian Coulter, 31, has been charged in the murder of her son, who was 8 years old at the time of his death in 2020, the sheriff said.

Both Williams and Coulter are in custody and additional charges are expected, he said.

The 15-year-old and the other two children -- boys under the age of 10 -- were found home alone on Sunday, the sheriff said.

Both younger kids "appeared malnourished and showed signs of physical injury," he tweeted.

Deputies also "found skeletal remains of a small child," the sheriff said.

All three children were taken to the hospital, he said. Their conditions were not released.

Authorities believe the parents hadn't lived in the home for several months, Gonzalez said.

Prior to their arrest, the children's mother and her boyfriend were found late Sunday night and had been interviewed and released, Gonzalez said Monday.

The investigation is ongoing, the sheriff said.

At a news conference Sunday, Gonzalez called it a "horrific situation."

"I have been in this business for a long time and I had never heard of a scenario like this," he said.