Mom of 3 Kids Left Abandoned in Texas Apartment with Dead Brother Arrested Along with Boyfriend

Authorities said the skeletal remains found with the three children in the apartment belonged to their brother, who was 8 years old when he was killed in 2020

Photo: KHOU 11/Youtube

Arrests have been made in connection to the three kids found abandoned in a Texas apartment along with the skeletal remains of their brother.

The Harris County Sheriff's Department said Sunday that officers responded to an apartment complex in Houston where the three children — ages 15, 10 and 7 — were found left behind in an apartment, with "skeletal remains ... also found inside the unit."

On Monday morning, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the 15-year-old, who contacted 911, told authorities that the remains belonged to his younger brother who "had been dead for a year and his body was in the room next to his." The three boys were taken to the hospital and appeared "malnourished and showed signs of physical injury."

Gonzalez announced Tuesday that their mother and her boyfriend had been arrested. Gloria Y. Williams, 35, was charged with injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence (human corpse), and her boyfriend Brian W. Coulter, 31, was "charged in the murder of the complainant." It was not immediately clear if the suspects have attorneys to reach for comment.

The child whose remains were discovered had been killed in 2020 at age 8 years old, authorities added. The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office determined earlier this week that the child's death was a homicide with multiple blunt force injuries, KPRC reported.

Neighbors in the apartment building spoke to KTRK about the situation, revealing that they would give food to the 15-year-old, who they believe cared for his younger siblings mostly on his own. The residents described him as paranoid and wouldn't accept certain meals out of fear of being poisoned, the outlet reports.

"One day, he came here and knocked on the door and asked if he could use the charger, and we built a bond from there. I started offering him food because I knew he needed more than just a charger," said one neighbor, as another explained about not inquiring about his situation, "I didn't want to push him away by asking questions because I knew he was starving and needed food."

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.