Retracing an Amber Alert: Elias Huizar's journey from Washington to Oregon
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – One day has passed since a multi-state search led to the rescue of a 1-year-old boy inside a car with his father who had led police on a chase through Oregon before shooting himself in the head, according to police.
Elias Huizar was accused of killing his ex-wife and the teenage mother of his child before driving to Oregon with the boy, prompting an Amber Alert late Monday night.
Since then, KOIN 6 News has retraced Elias Huizar’s steps through Oregon.
A search revealed the Oregon license plate on the suspect's car did not match that of the Washington car issued in the Amber Alert. In fact, the Oregon plate on Huizar’s silver Toyota came back to a car registered in Northeast Portland.
The license plate instead matched a Mazda owned by a tenant at the Squire Apartments off Northeast Fremont street and 102nd Avenue.
The building’s manager, Jeremy Morris, said he was shocked when FBI agents knocked on his door Tuesday morning, but neither he nor the car’s owner knew anything about Huizar – until KOIN 6 News told him.
"Holy S—, I didn't know that,” he said. "It's scary for sure. And like I said, the young person it happened to was shocked but the FBI just told him it was bad enough for them to get involved. I didn't know any of that."
Huizar was reportedly seen at a North Portland Plaid Pantry around 12:40 a.m. Tuesday. PPB confirmed a store clerk had called 911 to report seeing Huizar purchase a drink with a child in the backseat of the vehicle he was driving.
Later in the morning, a vehicle matching the description of the one Huizar was driving was reported near the Bridal Veil exit off Interstate 84.
By Tuesday afternoon, officers spotted Huizar driving south on Interstate 5, which led to a short chase that ended with him crashing his car near Eugene before shooting and killing himself, according to police. His son was found unharmed.
Huizar had been at large since Monday afternoon after a shooting at William Wiley Elementary School in West Richland left Huizar’s ex-wife Amber Marie Rodriguez dead. Police report that Huizar also killed his son's 17-year-old mother, Angelica Santos, in a local residence.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.