Mother of slain teen mom Angelica Santos, 17, is reunited with orphaned grandson, Roman, days after his disgraced school cop father fatally gunned down his underage girlfriend and ex-wife before going on the run with boy

The mother of the teen mom killed by her ex-cop lover has been reunited with her orphaned grandson days after the boy's kidnap, DailyMail.com can reveal. 

One-year-old Roman Huizar is now in the custody of grandmother Tiffany Penaloza, 34, in Yakima, Washington, after former police officer Elias Huizar, 39, fatally shot his 17-year-old girlfriend and his ex-wife before fleeing the state with the boy on Monday. 

The disgraced cop-turned-fugitive sparked a miles-long police chase into Portland, Oregon, that ended with him turning his gun on himself on Tuesday. 

The young boy, whom Huizar had fathered with Angelica when she only 15, was found safe and was handed over to his maternal grandmother on Wednesday. 

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com on the day of Roman was handed over by Child Protective Services, Penaloza said: 'This is all a bad dream. I kept wondering if this nightmare is going to end. 

'At least today, my tears will be happy tears when I see my grandson.' 

Penaloza, who lives near downtown Yakima, Washington, spoke out for the first time since her daughter's senseless murder and revealed she had only learned of Huizar's true identity in February and wasn't aware he was still seeing her daughter. 

One-year-old Roman Huizar is seen in exclusive DailyMail.com photos after being reunited with maternal grandmother Tiffany Penaloza, 34, in Yakima, Washington, on Wednesday 

The little boy was snatched by his father, who fled the state after fatally shooting his 17-year-old girlfriend and Roman's mother, Angelica Santos 

Elias Huizar, 39, was labeled 'armed and dangerous' after police connected him to the murder of his ex-wife and girlfriend 

She also expressed her relief that Huizar's death means she won't have to endure an agonizing murder trial. 

'I'm glad he's dead. The one good thing he did was not harm Roman. 

'But that's the only good thing I can say about him.

'Because he's dead we don't have to worry about a trial. The state I'm in now I don't think I could have handled it,' she added. 

Huizar went on the run after killing his paraeducator ex-wife Amber Rodriguez in front of their nine-year-old son at William Wiley Elementary school in West Richland on Monday afternoon during dismissal. 

Police then found a second victim, Angelica, dead in Huizar's home, located on the same block as the school. 

He went on the lam as prosecutors charged with first-degree murder as well as an aggravated circumstance allegation of domestic violence and firearm enhancement. 

Police across Washington and Oregon, as well as federal law enforcement, had begun a manhunt that ended around 3pm local time Monday, when cops embarked on a car chase. 

Eventually, Huizar crashed into a vehicle, spun into the median of the I-5 highway in Oregon and stopped his 2009 Toyota Corolla. 

Before police could establish contact, he shot himself in the head and was declared dead at the scene, Oregon State Trooper Kyle Kennedy confirmed Tuesday night.

According to documents filed by his ex-wife Amber Rodriguez in court earlier this year, Huizar met Angelica while he was working as a school resource officer in Yakima. 

Penaloza, who lives near downtown Yakima, spoke out for the first time since her daughter's senseless murder and revealed she had only learned of Huizar's true identity in February and wasn't aware he was still seeing Angelica

Roman, whom Huizar had fathered with the girl when she only 15, was found safe after the car chase and was handed over to his maternal grandmother on Wednesday

'My family literally lives on this street. My grandmother lives with us, my brother, and his family live across the street, Tiffany Penaloza said. One of Roman's relatives is his 14-year-old uncle Damien

She was only 11 when they met, and 15 when he impregnated her, Rodriguez wrote in seeking a protection order against him.

The former school cop had been due in court on Monday to face child rape charges; for his sexual relationship with his minor girlfriend and for sexually assaulting her 16-year-old friend. 

On Wednesday, the bereaved mother explained that she didn't know the true nature of Huizar's relationship with her daughter until he was accused of raping Angelica's friend, who is also a relative by marriage, in February. 

Up until then, Penazola said she had known Huizar as 'Leo' and had believed he was 18 years old after Angelica introduced him to her when Roman was born. 

'Before that night, Angelica told us 'Leo' was the name of Roman's father. She said that he was 18 years old.' 

Penaloza said she had only met Huizar twice in her life, the first time was on April 8, 2023, the night Roman was born. 

'It was during the tail end of Covid and everyone had to wear a mask in the hospital. Huizar came into see Angelica after she gave birth to Roman. 

'He came in wearing a big mask that covered most of his face, he introduced himself as 'Leo' and told us he was 18 years old. We couldn't see his entire face.

'I bought his story. At the time I was more interested in my daughter and newborn grandson.'

'We questioned Angelica extensively about Roman's father, but Angelica kept up with the lie. Looking back at it we should have known something was up.'

Legal filings revealed Huizar was arrested on February 3 after his 17-year-old girlfriend reported him for the attack on her 16-year-old friend who was staying overnight at their home in West Richland, Washington

Huizar turned the gun on himself on Tuesday after fatally shooting Angelica (left) and his ex-wife Amber Rodriguez on Monday 

Huizar was on the run after the Monday afternoon shooting just outside of William Wiley Elementary School, where his ex-wife was shot and killed

The second and last time Penaloza saw Huizar was just days after his arrest, when she accompanied her daughter to his house in West Richland, Washington, to gather her belongings.

She said that Angelica stayed in the car while she went inside the house. 

'As I was leaving with Angelica's belongings, he stopped me and said, "just tell Angelica, I love her." 

'I said I'm not going to ever tell her that.'

After Huizar's arrest Penaloza said: 'We all tried to convince her that she needed to stay away from him. That he was no good and no good for her, but she's a teenager and she thought she was in love.'

Penaloza admitted that she didn't know that her daughter and Huizar were still seeing each other. 

'We begged her not to see him. But she did any way and it cost her, her life.' 

Penaloza said that 'Angelica would pack up her car and tell us she was staying at a friend's house in the past several days we are learning more and more that she spent a lot of time with him.' 

According to court documents, Angelica and the 16-year-old girl were drinking alcohol at Huizar's home on February 3, when the friend became sick and began throwing up.

The two girls then went to lie down in the guest room where they eventually fell asleep.

Angelina told police she later woke up and saw Huizar performing oral sex on her friend.

She then grabbed her son and fled the house with the girl in Huizar's truck before tracking down a police officer and reporting the incident.

Washington State Police were seen carrying the baby away from Huizar's alleged vehicle after he killed himself 

The troopers began chasing ex-Yakima, Washington, officer Elias Huizar when they saw him driving southbound on Interstate 5 near Eugene, Oregon, at about 3pm local time Tuesday

Huizar murdered his teenage baby mother, Angelica Santos at his home before driving 200 yards down the street to an elementary school where he waited for ex-wife Amber Rodriguez to gun her down in front of her son

Cops arrived at the home to arrest Huizar and a standoff with police ensued, with the pedophile finally emerging two hours later and after a SWAT team was deployed.

Huizar was formally charged on two counts of child rape days later. 

Besides the fact that Angelica was gunned down, Penzolar said police have provided her with few details about her daughter's murder as the case is still an open investigation. 

But rather than having to deal with a trial down the road, she said she can now focus on raising her grandson in her neighborhood in Yakima where Roman will be surrounded by his other family members.  

'My family literally lives on this street. My grandmother lives with us, my brother, and his family live across the street. Roman is going to have at least 20 cousins to play with at all times,' the doting grandmother said.

DailyMail.com has uncovered exclusive court documents from 2019 that show Huizar filed a stalking order of protection against Angelica Santos when she was just 11 years old. Huizar worked as a school resource officer for the Yakima Police Department for Washington Middle School which Santos attended at the time. 

'After putting two and two together, Huizar was grooming my daughter back then. At the time I didn't think anything of it, when an action was filed against my daughter. 

'But now knowing it's the same person who raped my daughter, had a child with my daughter, and killed my daughter, may he burn in hell.

'He was an evil person.'

In the order for protection, Huizar wrote that in 'March 2019 Santos told other students she was in a relationship with me and those students reported it to the principal. Santos denied that she made the comments, and she received school discipline'.

He then said that Santos sent social media messages to other students stating they were having sex. She claimed her account was hacked after a criminal investigation was conducted and decided the accusation was unfounded. 

Santos was then expelled from school and Huizar was removed from the school by the police department.

Three years later Santos and Huizar reconnected via Facebook and shortly thereafter she became pregnant at the age of 15 .

Police issued an Amber alert for Huizar and his one-year-old son Roman on Monday night

Huizar served with the police department between 2014 and 2022 and was assigned to be a school resource officer at Washington Middle School in Yakima 

After Huizar's arrest in February 2024 days later his ex-wife filed a protective order against him which was granted. 

In her declaration for the protection order the ex-wife, Amber Rodriguez, 31, wrote: 'Our 8-year old son has stated that the respondent (Huizar) is violent.' 

She also says that Huizar has been violent toward Santos, hitting her in the face. 

Court document state that Huizar and Santos would engage in sexual activities while their two sons were present, in the pool, on the living room couch.

She further claims her two sons were left to take care of the 10-month-old infant while they were having sex.

'In June of 2023, our son stated that he kept hearing the respondent and 'Jelly' making loud moaning noises. 

'He also said that he went to the respondent's room early one morning to ask him a question and saw the respondent's face in 'Jelly's' butt and she was pressed up against the wall naked. 

'Jelly is the nickname for the respondents 17-year old girlfriend.'

Penaloza told DailyMail.com: 'Today is the first good day, we've had since Monday. 

'I get to hold my grandson, as he grows up, I'm going to be telling him about his mother every day. I'll never let him forget his mother, she loved him.'

As of now Penaloza says they don't have any funeral plans for her daughter. A friend has set up a GoFundMe account which, by Friday morning, had raised $12,000.