Washington state authorities identify second body found at former cop's home as girlfriend and mother of kidnapped child

The second body found at the home of former Washington state school resource officer Elias Huizar was that of his 17-year-old girlfriend and mother of his 1-year-old son, whom he was accused of kidnapping, the West Richland Police Department confirmed at a news conference Wednesday.

Huizar died Tuesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after leading Oregon police on a vehicle chase.

Angelica Santos, his girlfriend, was also the victim of third-degree rape, Police Chief Thomas Grego said.

Santos' cause of death remains undetermined pending an autopsy, authorities said Wednesday.

The motive for Santos' killing is unclear, according to Benton County Prosecutor Eric Eisinger. However, a protective order has been filed against Huizar on Santos' behalf, he added.

Jail records show Huizar was also charged with second-degree rape in February. That charge is separate from the third-degree rape charge involving Santos, Eisinger added.

He was released on $200,000 bail, according to the Tri-City Herald. Eisinger did not identify the second-degree rape victim or reveal her age Wednesday.

At the time of the arrest, the city of Yakima said Huizar had been employed there until February 2022, but did not say why he left the city. Facebook posts from the Yakima Police Department show he joined the department in December 2014 and began serving as a school resource officer in 2018.

In a Facebook post published Tuesday, Yakima police said Huizar left the department in 2021 “after receiving disciplinary action.”

Huizar is also accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife, Amber Rodriguez, outside William Wiley Elementary School in West Richland on Monday, CNN previously reported.

Oregon State Police Superintendent Placed on Leave

The Oregon State Police chief and two other officers involved in the pursuit of Huizar on Tuesday have been placed on leave, according to Oregon State Police Capt. Kyle Kennedy.

It's unclear how long Oregon State Police Superintendent Casey Codding will be on leave, Kennedy said. “The timeline will be determined by the investigative process,” he told CNN.

“It's standard procedure” to place officers on paid administrative leave after an officer-involved shooting, Kennedy said.

“There’s obviously a unique situation with the superintendent,” he said.

“In Oregon, the deputy superintendent statutorily has the authority of the superintendent when the superintendent is unavailable. The transition has been seamless and we look forward to his return,” Kennedy said.

Oregon State Troopers began pursuing Huizar after seeing a car he was driving on Interstate 5 near Eugene, Oregon, around 2:40 p.m. local time, Kennedy said.

“There was a minor collision (on the highway) and the suspect vehicle lost control. There was an exchange of gunfire at that location before the suspect vehicle fled again … on the highway,” Kennedy said. No one was injured by the gunfire, he added.

Huizar's vehicle eventually struck another vehicle, veered into a median and became stationary, Kennedy said.

“As officers came into contact with the suspect vehicle, the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Kennedy said.

The 1-year-old boy, Roman Santos, for whom Washington state authorities had issued an Amber Alert because they believed Huizar had abducted him, was in the vehicle without injury, Kennedy said. Officers safely removed him and he was released into the care of Oregon authorities, police said.

CNN's Andy Rose contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com