Tri-Cities Timeline covers the events relating to the tragic murders of Amber Rodriguez and Angelica Santos based on investigative journalism by Tumbleweird.
Inform
Inform readers of the events leading to the deaths of Amber and Angelica in a clear and easy to follow format.
Investigate
Investigate how this happened, particularly investigating systems and policies that failed to protect Amber, Angelica, and their children.
Change
Provide readers with information on what can be changed to prevent future tragedies, who is currently working towards those changes and how to support them.
Tri-Cities Timeline
Tri-Cities Timeline is sponsored by Tumbleweird. It is an ongoing project that we will continue to update as we learn more.
Tri-Cities Timeline written and updated by Chiarra Lohr and the Tumbleweird Team.
Each timeline entry has the date, a title, and a description. Wherever possible we will link to the public records document we used as a source. Italicized text are quotes taken from those documents. We also provide election information for any public officials involved and any action steps community members can take.
Amber Rodriguez, 31, Huizar’s ex-wife and victim.
Elias Huizar, 39 Facebook: Yakima Police Department
This timeline contains details of domestic violence and sexual abuse, including of children. I have tried to strike a balance, providing details without being gratuitous.. I have included pictures and quotes from Amber and Angelica because I want to make sure we always humanize them. -Chiarra Lohr
2009
Fall, 2009
Amber met Huizar while in high school
Amber met Huizar when she was a senior in high school at Sunnyside High School. Huizar was assisting with the wrestling team, though not in any official employee or volunteer position from the school district.
“She was likely 17 years and three months old . . . His age at the time was 24 years old.”
Allegations of Huizar having sexual relations with Angelica are reported to the Yakima School District and Yakima Police Department.
These are not the first allegations, but the first to be reported to anyone outside Washington Hills Middle school. We will break down these events further as we continue to update the timeline.
Huizar removed from Washington Hills Middle School
After the allegations of sexual misconduct, Huizar was removed from Angelica’s school. Later he worked as the School Resource Officer at Franklin Middle School, also in the Yakima School District.
Franklin Middle School is the SRO job the Richland School District contacted as part of their hiring process. Huizar’s full job application is still exempt from public records requests, so we do not know if the SRO position at Washington Middle School was listed.
Investigation of Huizar’s alleged sexual misconduct with Angelica
Washington’s Attorney General’s office investigated allegations that Huizar was having sexual relations with Angelica. He was the School Resource Officer at Angelica’s school, Washington Middle School. She was in 6th grade.
Investigative findings: “No independent evidence of sexual contact between Angelica and Huizar has been identified in this investigation.”
The steps of the investigation and how that conclusion was reached will be added to this timeline as we continue to update the project.
Huizar is described as being on leave from the Yakima Police Department for personal reasons or PTSD in several documents. The reason for the leave is not known. When Tumbleweird inquired the reason for the leave, Chief Murray, YPD Police Chief during this time, responded.
“I am unable to answer that question. My understanding is that this specific protection remains after death.”
Source: Tumbleweird article How did this happen
Question
Why was he on leave?
And why hasn’t that been disclosed? If it is protected information, why hasn’t that specific rule been shown to us, like we’ve seen in other documents?
Incident between Amber and Huizar at Wiley Elementary
Principal Paul Chartrand at Wiley Elementary contacted the police for a disturbance between Amber and Huizar over the parenting plan. The incident reports describe the argument as only verbal, however these statements were included in the Officer’s supplement.
“RP [Reporting Person – Principal] said Huizar was yelling at RPS father [Amber’s father] . . . M [Huizar] was stepping towards the RPS father [Amber’s father] and the principal stood between.”
Huizar made police reports and CPS reports against Amber
During their divorce, Huizar made reports to both the West Richland PD and CPS against Amber. The reason for the reports vary, from allegations of fraud, threats made against him, and child abuse.
Tumbleweird has obtained these incident reports through public records requests and will provide more information as we update this timeline.
April 2021
Huizar under internal investigation by YPD
The Yakima PD conducted an internal investigation for misconduct “as a result of conduct that occurred off-duty involving a family household member” [incident at Wiley Elementary].
During the internal investigation by YPD about the incident at Wiley Elementary, “un-confirmed information suggesting he [Huizar] had engaged in a relationship that could have been illegal prior to working as a police officer was disclosed.” The criminal investigation was given to the Union Gap PD rather than handled internally.
This report was sent to the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission.
The criminal investigation for sexual misconduct investigated whether Huizar’s relationship with Amber or his college girlfriend began when either woman was still a minor. The relationship with the college girlfriend was confirmed to have started once both Huizar and the girlfriend were adults.
The investigating officer also interviewed Amber and reported that he was unable to establish probable cause for sexual misconduct. This is his statement about the interview in the report:
“First, Amber is not a cooperating victim. In her statement she was willing to enter into a relationship with Huizar. She expressed what appeared to be genuine concern about Huizar being arrested and what that would do to her safety. She mentioned often that Huizar was not of sound mind, has told her he hears voices, was short tempered and controlling of her actions.”
Huizar was hired by the RSD as an emergency substitute teacher (an emergency substitute teacher does not have a teaching degree or license). He completed all steps of the hiring process including a drug screen, references from Franklin Middle School, clearing a background check, and ‘No sexual misconduct materials found’ on the Washington State Sexual Misconduct Disclosure Release sent from YPD.
We have more documents getting into the details of Huizar’s hiring that we will add as we update the timeline.
How did the investigations and incidents not come up in the hiring process with RSD?
Especially since one of them was a disturbance in front of an RSD school? And that disturbance raised concern enough with the YPD to open an investigation?
February 14, 2022
Notice of Officer Separation
After being on administrative leave for over 1 year, Huizar resigned immediately following the internal affairs division findings, though the findings would not have amounted to termination on their own.
“Officer Huizar is not eligible to be re-hired by the Yakima Police Department.”
An ultrasound photo recovered at Huizar’s house during his February 2024 arrest indicated that Angelica conceived Baby Santos in mid-July, 2022, when she was only 15 years old.
A West Richland PD officer was dispatched to Benton City, where two girls reported a sexual assault by Huizar to Benton County Deputies, one a witness [Angelica] and one the victim [Angelica’s 16 year old friend]. What follows is a narrative based on the police report.
Angelica and her friend reported the following to the police:
Huizar, Angelica and her friend were all drinking at Huizar’s house, where Angelica lived with Huizar and their 9 month old child.
The friend and Angelica went into the guest room and fell asleep.
Some time later, Angelica woke up to see Huizar sexually assaulting her sleeping friend.
The girls confronted Huizar, collected the baby and left in a car.
Huizar tried to prevent them from leaving the house and then followed them in a different car.
He drove away after the girls found a Benton County Sherrif.
Following the report by Angelica and her friend, the WRPD dispatched an officer to Huizar’s house. After confirming someone was in the house, the officer called for additional units and SWAT was dispatched. Huizar refused requests by the police to exit the house.
At 4:50 am SWAT forced entry through the front door and Huizar was taken into custody without incident.
The officer and Benton County Deputy attempted to contact their parents. The friend declined to go to the hospital. After they reported the assault, Angelica and her friend were left in the care of the Benton County Deputies.
What then? Angelica had a 9 month old baby and just fled her home. Where did she go?
After the 72 hour hold following his arrest, Huizar’s bail was set at $250,000 and Huizar was released after a bond was posted. The court also entered an order prohibiting him from contacting the victims and from possessing firearms. The firearms seized by the SWAT team when he was arrested were not released to him. “Because Mr. Huizar had no known convictions and because he resided in Benton County the $250,000 bail that was requested and granted by the court was appropriate based on the information we had at the time. Obviously if we could have anticipated the tragedy that would later occur, we would have asked for an even higher bail setting. Based on what we knew of the case, we asked for a higher bail setting than we would typically ask for based on the standards provided in Criminal Rule 3.2” -Eric Eisinger, Benton County Prosecuting Attorney
CrR 3.2(a) states there is presumption of release unless there is likely interference with witnesses, likely commission of a violent crime, or a risk of flight.
Amber filed a petition for Protection Order against Huizar
Amber filed a protection order against Huizar for herself and her two sons. She listed the alleged rape in February as the recent incident that made her want the protection order and included a news article of the arrest. She also stated that her oldest son had disclosed seeing Huizar and Angelica having sex.
“Elias Huizar harassed me since I separated from him December 8, 2020. Throughout our marriage Mr. Huizar was verbally, mentally, and emotionally abusive to me.”
Amber’s temporary protection order was denied without a hearing with the reason “No Basis” marked on the form.
“Failed to disclose dissolution case/parenting plan filed in Yakima County. Also, only evidence provided was a copy of a news article.” -Judge Bronson Brown Judge Brown is up for reelection in 2024.
The state of Washington charged Huizar with 2nd degree rape (for Angelica’s friend), 3rd degree rape of a child (for Angelica), and for allowing persons under 21 to drink alcohol on his premise.
Amber tried again to receive a protection order against Huizar for her and her children. She requested the protection order include an immediate weapons surrender, electronic monitoring, mental health and chemical dependency evaluation, and treatment for sex offender and domestic violence perpetrator.
“I believe the respondent is a flight risk as he has previously taken our children in 2021 . . . I believe the respondent will flee and take our children with him if he has access to them.”
Amber’s 2nd temporary protection order was approved, a hearing date set, and the protection order served to Huizar. The protection order was approved by Judge Jacqueline A Stam.
In the hearing for the protection order, Judge Andrew Howell approved the protection order for Amber’s children, but crossed off the inclusion of Amber herself. He also did not include the surrender weapons, electronic monitoring, evaluation or treatment requests.
Judge Howell appointed 2022, next election information unknown
Did Angelica and her baby have any place to go after she left Huizar’s house?
April 22, 2024 at 3:23 pm
Shooting of Amber at Wiley Elementary
At 3:23 pm WRPD were dispatched to an active shooter at Wiley Elementary School (final bell is at 3:15 pm). The school surveillance cameras captured Huizar approach Amber as she was near the school bus parking lot. Huizar fired multiple rounds at Amber and continued firing after she fell to the ground, then fled.
She was already dead when the police arrived. Her nine year old son reported witnessing the shooting.
When did Angelica die and when did they notice her baby was missing?
This started with Amber being shot at 3:23 pm. But the search warrant isn’t served and Angelica found until 8 pm. And the Amber Alert for her baby didn’t go out until even later. Why did it take so long?
April 23, 2024 around 3:00 pm
Huizar and baby found
Oregon State Police identified Huizar driving on Interstate 5 near Eugene, and pursued him for about 25 miles. Huizar exchanged gunfire with the police, crashed, and then shot himself in the head and later died. The baby was found unharmed in the car and taken safely into custody.
Is it standard police practice to fire at vehicle while in pursuit if there is a high likelihood of a child being in the car?
May, 17, 2024
Judge Swanberg in Huizar’s rape case resigned
Judge Sam Swanberg resigned his position as a judge with plans to return to private practice work. His press release stated his resignation had nothing to do with Huizar’s case, but was due to an investigation by the WA Commission of Judicial Conduct into his own allegations of domestic violence.
