By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
This news story was updated at 9:23 a.m.
A 20-year-old man from Renton was arrested yesterday in connection with the death of the Morton teenager whose body was found off a logging road outside Morton a month after he disappeared from his home this summer.
Austin King
Jack Arnold Silverthorne was was booked for first-degree murder, according to Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield.
Sixteen-year-old Austin King vanished from his family’s home in the Tilton River Mobile Home Park on June 23 and was the subject of a month-long search headed up by volunteers.
His body was found some 10 miles from his home with the help of a psychic who suggested a road to check.
The teenager was initially classified as a runaway and two or three weeks later relabeled as endangered-missing.
Mansfield said sheriff’s detectives traveled to Silverthorne’s home in Renton yesterday and arrested him just before 3 p.m. without incident. He was booked into the jail at 7:50 p.m.
This morning’s announcement is the first public statement from the sheriff’s office indicating they believed foul play was involved in Austin’s death.
When the body was discovered, the sheriff’s office said there was no obvious indication of accident, suicide or foul play.
Early last month, the Lewis County Coroner’s Office acknowledged they had determined it was a homicide, but would not divulge the cause of death. Neither the sheriff’s office nor elected Lewis County Coroner Terry Wilson this morning would disclose the cause of death.
Mansfield this morning indicated detectives have had their eye on Silverthorne for quite a while.
“We identified Silverthorne early in this investigation as a person of interest and later a suspect in the murder of Austin King,” Mansfield said.
The sheriff’s office didn’t offer any details about a motive.
A sheriff’s office spokesperson said Austin and Silverthorne were acquaintances who knew each other through an East Lewis County girl with whom Austin had a relationship.
Sheriff’s Cmdr. Steve Aust said they did not know if Austin was killed in the place his body was found.
The teenager was last seen by his mother Christy Harper at about 12:15 a.m. on June 23 when he said goodnight to her and went off to his detached bedroom outside of their mobile home with two buddies to watch television. He didn’t have a car, but his body was found some 10 miles from Morton.
Mansfield said the sheriff’s office has had to be patient waiting for DNA tests and they wanted to make sure they had the evidence secured and a solid case before making an arrest.
It took a forensic anthropologist in Seattle examining the remains until early last month to help determine the cause and manner of death.
Silverthorne is scheduled to go before a Lewis County Superior Court judge this afternoon, and if he is charged or held for pending charges, the details of what makes him a suspect would be laid out in a document for a judge to review.
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To read previous coverage of Austin King’s case, see below:
• “Breaking news: Morton teenager died by homicide, coroner’s office says” from Friday Oct. 8, 2010
• “Breaking news: Morton area body confirmed as missing teenager Austin King, sheriff’s office says” from Friday Aug. 20, 2010
• “Park filled with mourners for missing Morton teenager Austin King” from Saturday July 24, 2010
• “News brief: Specialist to help examine body found near Morton” from Thursday July 22, 2010
• “Vigil for Morton teen still on; body found yesterday not identified” from Wednesday July 21, 2010
• “News brief: Body of male found near logging road outside of Morton” from Tuesday July 20, 2010
• “News brief: Sheriff’ office seeks tips to find missing teen” from Thursday July 1, 2010
• “Morton teenager remains missing” from Thursday July 1, 2010
• Also, Roy Stemman, a writer in the United Kingdom, published a story, “Psychic guides searchers to teens body” in his Paranormal Review on July 27, 2010 after interviewing psychic Sonya Grace and Morton resident and search organizer Jennifer Mau, founder of the local chapter of Guardians of the Children.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter