A Washington Teen Disappeared. Days Later, He Was Found And Charged With Murder

OLYMPIA, WA — A Washington teenager who disappeared for nearly two days last week is now charged with murder in connection with the death of his mother's former partner, according to court documents.

Gabriel Michael Davies, 16, was charged with first- and second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, and two counts of unlawful firearm possession in Pierce County Superior Court this week. Davies' friend, 16-year-old Justin Jiwoon Yoon, faces identical charges, prosecutors said.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, Davies and Yoon are accused of killing a 51-year-old Orting man last week, hours before Davies was reported missing.

Police found the man's body while conducting a welfare check at his home in the 21700 block of 190th Street East in Orting. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, deputies were told the man had not shown up for work for four days.

Davies and Yoon were arrested around 8 p.m. Friday, according to police.

Both teens, who will be tried as adults, appeared in court Tuesday, where a judge set their bail at $1 million each.

The timeline of events leading to the charges began early last week, according to the affidavit. Davies was reported missing on Aug. 31 and, according to court documents, police found Davies' car abandoned on private property just after 5:30 p.m. the day prior.

Davies was due to attend football practice at Olympia High School at 4 p.m. but never arrived, The Olympian reported.

According to prosecutors, the vehicle had exterior damage and blood on the steering wheel and driver's side panel. Police also located Davies' smashed cell phone on the road near the car.

During the two-day search for Davies, investigators learned Davies and Yoon were camping at Panther Lake in Mason County, according to court documents. Prosecutors said the pair left the cabin shortly after midnight on Aug. 28 and returned at 6:30 a.m. Both teens left again at 11:45 a.m. and never returned, authorities said.

Police discovered the body of the 51-year-old man, identified in court documents only as "D.M," on Sept. 1. According to prosecutors, his body was found on the floor surrounded by a significant amount of blood. Emergency crews found two spent 45 mm shell casings inside the home. The medical examiner later determined he had been shot twice — once in the head and once in the abdomen — and stabbed multiple times, the affidavit said.

As police investigated the man's death, they learned he had been in a relationship with Davies' mother, according to court documents. Pierce County detectives, who were investigating the murder, then contacted Thurston County detectives investigating Davies' disappearance.

According to the affidavit, police located a spent 9 mm shell casing in Davies' room while searching for him. Investigators later found another 9 mm casing and two empty gun holsters at the murder scene, indicating two weapons were used, prosecutors said.

Davies was found the same day the man's body was discovered and 36 hours after he was reported missing, according to the affidavit. When he was located, authorities said he wore shorts but no shirt, shoes, or socks. According to police, Davies had no injuries on his feet that would be consistent with walking through the woods for nearly two days.

According to the affidavit, Davies told police he could not remember where he had been or what happened to him. He later said he couldn't tell police what happened because "people were going to hurt him."

Police also recovered security footage from the murder victim's property during the investigation. According to the court documents, the footage showed two "young skinny males" approach the man's house just before 2 a.m. on Aug. 28 and enter through a dog door. The affidavit said the victim went into his house from his detached garage around 2:40 a.m., and footage showed the two young males fleeing the home around 2:52 a.m. Both appeared to be carrying items, police said, including a handgun.

According to court documents, Davies' father contacted investigators on Sept. 2 and told them," Gabe was involved in D.M.'s death." Davies' father also told police his son was threatened by the victim's "biker buddies" and was asked to steal something from his home. Davies then confided in Yoon, the affidavit states, and the pair developed a plan to sneak into the victim's home and steal the item.

Davies' father also told investigators it was the members of a motorcycle club who pulled his son over where police found his abandoned vehicle, according to court documents. Davies' father said the club members smashed his son's face into the steering wheel before driving him around in an SUV, "roughing him up" and releasing him, the affidavit says. According to prosecutors, Davies also told his father he never stole anything.

Davies later showed investigators where he and Yoon hid two firearms they took from the victim's home. The weapons were consistent with the shell casings found at the scene, the affidavit says. Detectives also found a small bag containing multiple knives.

In Washington state, anyone under 18 is tried in juvenile court unless an exception applies, the Tacoma News Tribune reported. Exceptions to the bill could be a 16- or 17-year-old tried as an adult after committing a serious violent offense such as murder, a drive-by shooting or a robbery, according to the news report.

Both teens are currently detained at the Remann Hall Juvenile Detention Center in Tacoma.