Strange tale of Washington teen gone missing, found safe, arrested for murder
Gabriel Davies, a 16-year-old high school football player, was reported missing from his Olympia, Washington, home, on August 31 but was found and returned to his family the next day, only to be arrested with another teen after being implicated in the murder of a 51-year-old man.
The story begins with the State of Washington’s Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) seeking the public’s help in locating Davies who was reported missing “under suspicious circumstances.” Davies had left his home and was on his way to football practice at Olympia High School, but never arrived at that destination. Instead, only his abandoned vehicle was found near the 16100 block of Tilley Road South.
Then, at 7:41 a.m. on September 1, TCSO Detectives received information that Davies was seen walking alone, northbound near the 15000 block of Tilley Road South at approximately 5:30 p.m. the previous evening, August 31, not far from where his vehicle had been found. Sheriff’s Search and Rescue teams responded to that area in the hopes of finding the young man.
Then, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office:
On 09/01/22 @ approximately 10:00 pm, Gabriel was located safe at the 13600 block of Tilley Rd S. Gabriel has been returned to his family. At this time TCSO will not be making any additional comments regarding this incident. We ask that you give Gabriel and his family the necessary privacy at this time.
At approximately the same day and time, the neighboring Pierce County Sheriff’s Office was reporting that two teens had been arrested in the town of Orting and that those two boys were looking at murder charges.
At 09:26 a.m. on Thursday, September 1st, Pierce County Deputies responded to a welfare check at the 21700 block of 190th Street East in Orting. Deputies were told the resident, a 51-year-old man, had not shown up for work for the last four days. Deputies were able to gain access into the house to do a welfare check and located the man deceased inside the home.
The man had a gunshot wound, but no firearm was nearby. Deputies called for detectives and forensic investigators to respond to the scene. Detectives spent Thursday and Friday processing the scene and collecting evidence.
By the evening of September 2, detectives had enough evidence for probable cause to arrest two suspects in this case. Just after 8:00 p.m. both suspects, described only as two 16-year-old males, were taken into custody.
Both males were booked into Remann Hall Juvenile Detention Center for Murder in the 2nd Degree, Burglary in the 1st Degree, and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.
Although the two boys were not identified by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, MSN reported earlier today that according to The Independent, one of the two teens arrested and charged with the Orting man’s murder was indeed Gabriel Davies.
According to Washington newspaper The Chronicle, Pierce County sheriffs said the victim knew Mr Davies and had been dead for at least 24 hours when his body was found.
The Tacoma News Tribune reported on Saturday that the two teens had not yet been formally charged, which would most likely happen on Tuesday when courts return from holiday.
When it was reported that Davies knew his victim, The New York Daily News stated that the murder victim was Davies’ mother’s ex-boyfriend.
Officials have still not publicly identified the victim, but the Tacoma News Tribune reported Sunday that he and Davies’ mother “were a couple” and that the three had lived together for several years at the house where he was found dead.
This story is still developing.
(Sources and Images: Thurston County Sheriff’s Office & Pierce County Sheriff’s Office)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
