The Olympia High School student, who The Daily Beast is not identifying because he is a juvenile, disappeared on his way to football practice Wednesday, and the stakes were raised almost immediately when police said his vehicle was found abandoned under “suspicious circumstances.” Blood was found inside the vehicle and his cell phone was found broken on the ground, according to local news station KIRO 7. Police said he had been seen walking alone on a street the same night he was reported missing by his family, adding to the mystery. After an extensive search, the community was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief Friday morning when the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office announced that the teenager had been found late the night before and returned safely to his family. But now authorities say a 51-year-old man was found dead of a gunshot wound just hours before the missing footballer was found on Thursday – and both the teenager and another 16-year-old are suspects in the murder. According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, which did not name the juvenile suspects, the two teenagers were arrested late Friday and booked into a juvenile detention center on suspicion of second-degree murder, burglary and possession of firearms. Arrest information for Pierce County shows the missing teenager listed as one of two juveniles taken into custody on those charges late Friday. More details about what led police to suspect the two teenagers were not immediately available, but the sheriff’s office said in a news release that it had “sufficient evidence of probable cause” to make the arrests. Police have not yet identified the 51-year-old shooting victim, but said they believe he knew the missing teenager who is now suspected in his murder. The man was found at his home in Orting when officials searched his home after someone reported him absent from work. Detectives and coroners concluded the man had been dead for at least 24 hours before the gruesome discovery on Thursday.
