Missing Olympia teen found, then arrested on murder suspicion

An Olympia teen who went missing “under suspicious circumstances” was found and shortly arrested in connection with the death of a 51-year-old man in Orting.

Information from Pierce County Corrections indicates that the 16-year-old male is being held in a juvenile detention center on a million-dollar bail for second-degree murder, first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

The teen was reported missing last Wednesday, Aug. 31, after leaving home at about 4 p.m. to attend football practice at Olympia High School. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said the teen’s vehicle was found near the 16100 block of Tilley Road S.

Sheriff’s deputies then received multiple reports of the teen walking alone on the 15000 block of Tilley Road S, just north of where his vehicle was found.

In an interview with The Chronicle, Thurston County Sheriff John Snaza said that the TCSO Search and Rescue team, FBI, Olympia Police Department, and Washington State Parks responded to the incident.

 “We continued the search for the individual the entire day,” Snaza said. “During that time, we were contacted by Pierce County Sheriff’s Office for other investigations and interests.”

 The teenager was found in the 13000 block of Tilley Road at about 10 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1.

 Homicide in Orting

Meanwhile, deputies found a man dead inside his home. He had a gunshot wound, but no firearm was located nearby.

In a separate news release, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said that deputies conducted a welfare check on the 21700 block of 190th Street E in Orting last Thursday after the 51-year-old male resident had not shown up to work for four days.

Detectives and forensic investigators were dispatched to process the scene and collect evidence.

On Friday, Sept. 2, Pierce County detectives established probable cause to arrest the missing Olympia teen and another 16-year-old-male in connection with the Orting man’s death.

Although the Pierce County news release did not name either teenager, jail records and earlier information released by the TCSO show that the Olympia teen is one of the two suspects.