Kids peered at body but didn't report it

For at least two days after he was killed by a single gunshot, the body of 16-year-old Dustin Rakestraw lay under the rain-soaked bushes next to the Shoreline Public Library this week.

And for at least two days, word of a body in the trees was the buzz at nearby Kellogg Middle School. Police say they don't know how many students went to the library to peer at the dead boy. But some returned and brought their friends.

It wasn't until late Thursday that police were called, after an 18-year-old woman who joined the onlookers realized the gravity of what she saw.

"There's some question of whether all the (students) thought the body was real or not," said King County sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart.

Now a 13-year-old Kellogg student is jailed on suspicion of manslaughter, thought to have accidentally fired the bullet that killed Rakestraw, who wasn't a student in the district. Police remained extremely tight-lipped about the victim and the circumstances surrounding his death, even while the school geared up to offer counseling for students who may be haunted by the sight.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office personnel said Rakestraw died of a single gunshot to the head. They wouldn't say when they believe he died. Rakestraw's family couldn't be reached yesterday.

School officials said yesterday was the first they'd heard anything from students about a body near the library.

"Just because kids are talking about something doesn't necessarily mean adults are hearing it," said Shoreline School District spokeswoman Marjorie Ledell. "The kids were talking, but not to adults. They didn't go to any adults in general."

King County sheriff's deputies arrested the 13-year-old boy about 3 a.m. yesterday after apparently spending most of the night following the middle-school rumor mill back to him.

The boy appeared yesterday in King County juvenile court, where a judge ordered him held pending charges, expected next week. No family members came to the hearing, a deputy prosecutor said. No relatives could be reached for comment.

Police detectives who arrived at the library about 6 p.m. Thursday were met by a tale reminiscent of disturbing films such as "River's Edge" or Stephen King's "Stand By Me."

Police learned that since at least Wednesday, rumors had been filtering around the school and neighborhoods that a body lay in the landscaping on the northwest corner of the library grounds just east of Interstate 5 on Northeast 175th Street.

It's unclear whether the 13-year-old suspect ever returned to it, or whether any of the students knew Rakestraw, police said.

Two brothers, 11 and 12, went to see the body Wednesday. Thursday evening they returned, with two 13-year-old girls and two 18-year-old women, police said.

One of the women, who hadn't been there before, realized the body was real, police said. She went inside the library and asked librarians to call police.

Investigators yesterday declined to say exactly what led them to the 13-year-old suspect. Nor would they say what they believe specifically happened at the library when Rakestraw was shot dead.

"It appears to be accidental, but certainly reckless in nature," Urquhart said.

Detectives also won't say whether they recovered the gun. And they won't say how Rakestraw and the 13-year-old knew each other, if at all.

"There are lots of rumors around," Urquhart said. "We're not going to prejudice the case or the witnesses by talking out of turn, until we know more about the circumstances of this unfortunate incident."

Court records show the 13-year-old boy, who had lived with his father only a few blocks from the library, has had two minor scrapes with the law. Earlier this year, he served time in juvenile detention and was placed on probation for breaking a window at Kellogg Middle School in June 2000. He is currently facing a theft charge in Snohomish County juvenile court.

The school district declined to discuss the boy except to confirm he was enrolled at Kellogg.

"Something like this is always very sad for all sides, and there are no winners," Ledell said. "We're concerned for our students, and we're as concerned with our staff as we are for the students."

Rakestraw, according to public records, was convicted as a juvenile in 1999 for assault, possessing a weapon on school grounds and attempted theft. Last fall, he was caught breaking into cars and trespassing and was ordered to perform community service, attend counseling and undergo an evaluation for alcohol and drug use, according to records.

Ian Ith can be reached at 206-464-2109 or iith@seattletimes.com

Seattle Times staff reporter Nicole Tsong contributed to this report.