Parents Charged: Body In Septic Tank Belonging To 5-Year-Old Allegedly Intentional, Parents Arrested

The parents of Noah Thomas have been charged after the boy’s body was found in a septic tank near his Virginia home. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Thomas, 5, went missing when his mother went to take a nap. She originally told police that when she woke up from her nap, her son was gone. A search ensued, and the boy’s dead body was found inside a septic tank just a few days later.

Police told the public that the boy’s parents had been fully cooperating, and cautioned anyone against jumping to conclusions until all the facts were present. It appears, however, that the initial suspicions surrounding the case have been right all along.

The parents of Noah were charged a week after his body was found in the septic tank. According to USA Today, Paul Thomas, 32, and Ashley White, 30, were charged with abuse and neglect of children. They were each charged with two counts, one pertaining to Noah and the other to their infant. Their 6-month-old child was taken away from them and placed in protective custody.

“It came to a point where the evidence that we had we felt was sufficient to arrest them for probable cause,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Mike Fleenor of Pulaski County.

Autopsy results are expected to give more detail about what happened to Noah. Those results will be available within the next two weeks. Murder charges could be added pending the results of the autopsy and the rest of the investigation. As of now, police are not saying too much about the case, but have confirmed that Paul and Ashley are at least partially to blame for what happened to their 5-year-old son.

According to the Free Lance-Star, both Paul and Ashley are being held without bond at the New River Valley Regional Jail. At this point, it is unknown if either Paul or Ashley have obtained an attorney. The family hasn’t made a statement of any kind and have managed to stay out of the public eye since the couple was arrested.

Previously, an aunt of Thomas spoke out and said that she hoped police would get to the bottom of the case because Noah didn’t just end up in a septic tank without someone putting him there. Based on these arrests, it appears as though she may have been right.

Do you think Paul and Ashley will be charged with murder in the coming weeks?

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