Authorities are searching for a former Washington police officer who allegedly killed two women on Monday before he kidnapped one of his children and fled the area.
An Amber Alert was issued on Monday night for 1-year-old Roman Huizar, but as of Tuesday morning, police had not located the boy or his father, 39-year-old Elias Huizar.
The former Yakima police officer is suspected of killing his teenage girlfriend and his ex-wife in the Central Washington community of West Richland, KOIN-TV reported.
One victim was gunned down around 3:20 p.m. at William Wiley Elementary School, where Huizar’s ex-wife was a paraeducator, according to the Tri-City Herald of Kennewick, Washington.
The school went on lockdown and closed early Monday.
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An investigation quickly led police to Huizar’s home near the school, where they found the body of the other victim.
One of the victims was identified as the officer’s ex-wife, Amber Rodriguez, with whom he had two children.
The other was not identified because of her age.
Authorities believe Huizar took Roman, whom he fathered with his teen girlfriend, and fled the area in a 2009 Toyota Corolla with Washington license plate number CBZ4745.
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The pair could be traveling south to Mexico, police said, warning the public that Huizar should be considered armed and dangerous.
He was described as 5 feet, 6 inches tall and about 170 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
Huizar was a police officer in Yakima from 2014 until 2022 and also served as a school resource officer.
He has been facing allegations he raped an unconscious 16-year-old girl in February at his home, KEPR-TV reported.
The crime was reported to police by Huizar’s girlfriend, who herself was reported to have also been underage, according to the Tri-City Herald.
The report said Huizar had been under police investigation concerning the legality of his relationship with the teenager.
KGW-TV reported that a gas station clerk near Portland, Oregon, told police he believed he saw Huizar and the missing child sometime early Tuesday morning.
The Tri-City Herald reported Rodriguez had filed for custody of their two children just last week.