(CNN) - A Texas neighborhood is in shock after a 7-year-old boy was found dead inside of a washing machine at his home.
Before the discovery, his adopted parents reported him missing.
Investigators are now working to see if any foul play was involved.
“Never seen nothing like that before, not here,” neighbor Rudy Chata said.
The Harris County Precinct 4 Constables Office released Troy Khoeler’s picture and asked the public to be on the lookout for him.
After canvassing the neighborhood, their attention was turned back to Troy’s home.
“Constables got here, did a brief interview for the missing person report, and things that they observed led them to search the house thoroughly,” Lieutenant Robert Minchew said.
That search ended with Troy found fully clothed in a washing machine inside the garage of his home around 7:20 a.m. Thursday.
“I don’t even know what to say. It hurts me to my soul that a child would be hurt that way,” neighbor Sherri Barnes said.
Authorities confirmed that Troy’s parents had fostered him, then officially adopted him in 2019.
He was enrolled in the Spring Independent School District, and his teacher say he was full of energy, loved his instructors and was very bright.
Neighbors said Troy had just moved into the house with his parents a couple of weeks ago.
It’s still unclear how the parents discovered Troy was missing or if there’s more to the story, but investigators are interviewing the parents and checking every possibility.
“We don’t know what happened, but we intend to find out,” Minchew said.
The parents were detained and brought in for questioning.
No other children currently live with the family.
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BrianNowhere on July 29th, 2022 at 12:02 UTC »
Surreal to think someone lifted the washer lid thinking, 'obviously he won't be in here but I have to check anyway', then having it turn out that that's where he was all along.
RedLegionnaire on July 29th, 2022 at 10:08 UTC »
I just want to point out the article details they just recently moved in; it's completely possible the washing machine in the garage was not like we're picturing, set up for use for laundry - it may have been just a unit waiting to be installed or an old unit being removed, or possibly even they weren't used to having laundry at the location they lived, so it wasn't even a thing they thought to check, because they didn't register it as a "location" a kid could get stuck in.
Nukemarine on July 29th, 2022 at 08:45 UTC »
Horrific and made more so as the article points out it's not clear if this was a tragic accident or if someone is to blame as investigation is ongoing.