Teen Confesses to Killing Family

Tuesday, January 2nd 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

ADDY, Wash. (AP) â€” A 16-year-old boy confessed to shooting his parents and two siblings to death and indicated to authorities where to find the bodies, the sheriff's office said.

William L. Lembcke was being held in the Stevens County Jail in the shooting deaths of his father, Robert H. Lembcke, 49; his mother, Diana, 43; his 18-year-old sister, Jolene, and his 11-year-old brother, Wesley.

Their bodies were discovered Saturday, covered in snow on the side of a rural road near Addy, a small community about 60 miles north of Spokane.

Sheriff's investigators believe the shootings happened Dec. 23 at home, and that the bodies were taken in the family pickup truck to the site where they were found.

A neighbor and relatives notified the sheriff's office after family members had not been seen for five days.

Sheriff Craig Thayer said deputies noticed something amiss when they talked to William Lembcke at the family's home. Later, he said, they interviewed the boy further at the sheriff's office and learned where the bodies were dumped.

William Lembcke had a juvenile record, and there had been recent turmoil in the family, Thayer said.

``It does appear there was some anger and some arguments that have occurred, not just recently, but over some period of time,'' he said.

The teen had registered at Colville Senior High School two months ago, after having been home-schooled for the past year, Principal Chuck Salina said.

``He did some juvenile-type stuff but didn't exhibit any of the type of anger that would lead to something like this,'' Salina said. ``This just shocked me. Whatever was going in his head or in the family, I sure didn't see any of that in school.''

Robert Lembcke was an independent logger who owned his own truck and loader, family members said.