EUGENE, OR – A former law enforcement officer from Washington state, implicated in the murders of his ex-wife and teenage girlfriend, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a high-speed chase in Oregon, officials reported on Tuesday.
Elias Huizar, 39, was discovered by Oregon State Troopers following a pursuit near Eugene around 3 p.m. on Tuesday. His one-year-old son, who was present during the chase, was safely taken into custody by the state police.
The pursuit began when troopers spotted Huizar driving south on Interstate 5. Despite attempts to pull him over, Huizar fled, leading to a high-speed chase, according to Oregon State Police Capt. Kyle Kennedy. During the pursuit, which covered approximately 25 miles, Huizar’s vehicle collided with a stationary commercial vehicle on the interstate, resulting from an unrelated incident.
Following the collision, Huizar’s vehicle became immobilized in the median. As troopers approached, Huizar fatally shot himself, Kennedy confirmed.
Huizar was suspected of murdering his ex-wife, Amber Marie Rodriguez, in broad daylight outside William Wiley Elementary School in West Richland on Monday afternoon. Witnesses, including their nine-year-old son, reported that Huizar shot Rodriguez eight times. Rodriguez had recently secured a protection order against Huizar.
Upon searching Huizar’s residence later that day, police reportedly found his deceased teenage girlfriend. An Amber Alert was subsequently issued for Huizar’s one-year-old son, whom he shared with his minor girlfriend. Authorities believed Huizar was attempting to flee to Mexico with the child.
Court documents revealed that Rodriguez had recently filed for a change in custody involving her two young sons with Huizar. The couple had divorced in 2020, and Rodriguez had filed for a protection order against Huizar following accusations of him sexually assaulting a teenage girl in February.
Investigations were ongoing to determine if Huizar’s girlfriend was of legal age when she became pregnant with their child. Huizar had posted $200,000 bail following his arrest, and the rape case was pending at the time of the murders.
Huizar had met his teenage girlfriend when she was 11, while he was a middle school resource officer in Yakima. He had been living with her since she was 15, and they had a one-year-old child together. Huizar had left the Yakima Police Department in 2021 after disciplinary actions, and his employment with the Richland School District was terminated following his arrest.