A Washington state teen, who was initially reported missing under suspicious circumstances, has been found safe then arrested for murder.
Gabriel Michael Davies, 16, of Olympia was reported missing early last week, when he failed to show up for football practice.
According to reports, Davies was found late Thursday after his vehicle was found abandoned near Millersylvania State Park.
Davies and another 16-year-old, Justin Yoon, were taken into custody Friday night. The two are suspected in the shooting death of a 51-year-old Orting man.
From the Tacoma News Tribune:
The Olympia teenager who was the subject of a two-day search earlier this week when he disappeared on his way to football practice has been arrested for his suspected role in the shooting death of an Orting man.
Gabriel Michael Davies and another 16-year-old were taken into custody Friday night by Pierce County Sheriff’s detectives. The 51-year-old victim was found dead with a gunshot wound in his Orting home Thursday morning by Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies, according to a statement from the department.
The News Tribune typically does not name juveniles charged with crimes. In this case, the name is being published due to recent prior coverage of Davies’ disappearance as well as the seriousness of the alleged offense.
The Sheriff’s Department said deputies were checking on the victim at his residence in the 21900 block of 190th Street East in Orting because he failed to show up for work for four days.
Deputies determined he had a gunshot wound but no weapon was found. Detectives and forensic investigators processed the scene Thursday and Friday.
The victim had been dead for at least 24 hours prior to the discovery of his body on Thursday morning, said Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss. An exact time of death will be determined after a full investigation. The victim and Davies knew each other, Moss said.
By Friday night, detectives had collected enough evidence to arrest the two teenage suspects just after 8 p.m.
According to the Fox 13 video below, the judge set bail at $1 million. Prosecutors had argued that the teens were both a flight risk in this situation, one prosecutor arguing in court that, “Gabriel Davies had already staged a disappearance.”
According to the Fox 13 report, Davies’ father said that he ‘was involved’ in the victim’s death and that ‘he was approached by his “biker buddies” to steal something from the victim’s home… they threatened him with harm if he didn’t do it.’
