LYNNWOOD — Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives collected the clothes Andrew Henckel was wearing after his 6-year-old nephew’s body was found in a trash bin outside the family’s Lynnwood apartment.
Investigators also collected clothes they found in the dryer. Henckel allegedly told police he put his jeans, T-shirt and socks in the dryer after holding Dayvid Pakko down in a bathtub full of water. Henckel, 19, said he planned to drown the boy as soon as he was left alone with him.
He also allegedly said he “wasn’t really thinking. Just kind of did it,” according to a search warrant filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.
The search warrant provides new details into the hunt for Dayvid and the discovery of the first-grader’s body Oct. 17, about nine hours after his mother called 911 to report her son was missing.
Early on detectives were suspicious of Dayvid’s disappearance. They were told that he had autism but didn’t have a history of wandering away. They were told Dayvid had been wearing green camouflage dinosaur pajamas but they found the bottoms, turned inside out, on top of the washing machine.
Investigators quickly started piecing together a timeline.
Henckel was interviewed just after 10 p.m., telling police Dayvid had gone missing while he took a short nap. Henckel had been staying with his sister since arriving from Texas around Oct. 8. Investigators were told that Henckel might be autistic.
His sister’s live-in boyfriend said he left Dayvid home with Henckel so he could run some errands. He said he went to an Everett pawn shop and then to friend’s apartment to pay a drug debt, according to the warrant. He said he returned around 2:30 p.m. to find Dayvid gone and Henckel on the couch.
The men searched the apartment complex. The older man said he thought about an hour went by before he called Dayvid’s mom, who was at work. His phone showed it had been about two hours, Snohomish County sheriff’s detective Tedd Betts wrote in the affidavit.
The man denied any involvement in Dayvid’s disappearance, agreed to take a polygraph test and provided detectives a sample of his DNA. He also agreed to let investigators search his phone. Less than an hour later, a detective found Dayvid in the trash. He was wrapped in a blanket.
Detectives noticed that while investigators focused on the trash bin Henckel started walking away from the area. He was detained and taken to the sheriff’s office for questioning.
He allegedly told detectives he knew he was going to drown the boy as soon as his sister’s boyfriend left the apartment. The Snohomish County medical examiner confirmed this week that Dayvid drowned.
Prosecutors have charged Henckel with first-degree murder in Everett District Court. They are expected to refile the charge into Superior Court next week.
Henckel’s father has disputed the allegations, saying his son would never hurt anyone.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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