Ex-officer wanted for 2 murders found dead in standoff, child found safe after Amber Alert
A former Washington police officer accused of killing his ex-wife and girlfriend is dead after a highway standoff in Oregon, and a missing child has been found safe and was taken into police custody.
An Amber Alert was issued Monday night from Washington State Patrol on behalf of the West Richland Police Department, alerting that a man had killed his ex-wife and girlfriend and abducted his 1-year-old son. At the time of the Amber Alert, police identified 39-year-old Elias Huizar as a suspect, saying he was armed, dangerous and “on the run."
Huizar, a former Yakima, Washington police officer, shot himself in the head at the end of the pursuit on I-5.
Prior to the shooting, police said Huizar had crashed and exchanged gunfire with officers before taking off again, then stopping several miles later, near mile marker 197 south of Coburg, Oregon, where he crashed into a commercial vehicle and spun into the median.
The child, identified as 1-year-old Roman Santos, was found in the back seat unharmed and was taken safely into police custody, Oregon State Police Cpt. Kyle Kennedy said on Tuesday, speaking to reporters in Eugene, Oregon after the incident.
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Police: Elias Huizar killed his ex-wife, girlfriend before fleeing with baby
According to information from law enforcement, Huizar killed a woman outside William Wiley Elementary School in West Richland, Washington on Monday then fled the scene before officers arrived.
While later serving a search warrant at Huizar's home, West Richland Police reported, detectives and partner agencies discovered a second woman’s body at his residence.
Police have not released additional details about the women's deaths including how they were killed.
Elias Huizar is former police officer in Yakima
Huizar is a former police officer with the Yakima Police Department, the agency's spokesperson Yvette Inzunza told USA TODAY Tuesday.
The city of Yakima is about 70 miles northwest of where the baby disappeared.
Huizar was hired by the agency in 2013 and resigned in February of 2022, Inzunza said. According to a department release posted to social media, Huizar left the department "after receiving discipline."