The hunt for Elias Huizar, the man at the center of a heart-rending Amber Alert after a chilling episode in West Richland, intensified as Portland Police confirmed his presence in the area. Citing a shop encounter yesterday morning, a vigilant clerk at the Plaid Pantry on Hayden Island reportedly dialed 911 after spotting Huizar, according to KATU. The clerk's keen observation extended to a child seated in the backseat, setting off a wave of concern as police canvassed the Portland metro.

The suspect, linked to a double homicide and accused of kidnapping his one-year-old son after the grisly crime scene unfurled outside an elementary school in West Richland, remained at large; the gravity of the situation compounded by police warnings labeling him as "armed and dangerous," a detail highlighted in the chilling dispatch from FOX 10 Phoenix. Vehicular breadcrumbs led to a sighting along the Bridal Veil exit on I-84, although the lead fizzled into the morning mist, police arriving later, came up empty-handed.

In a development that sharpened the narrative of the search, Plaid Pantry's CEO Jonathan Polonsky cast a new light on the case after reviewing the store's security footage, stating with conviction that Huizar was caught on tape during the said nocturnal stopover; the video evidence promptly landed in the hands of Portland officers, a detail corroborated by KOIN 6. The concrete images, solidified by the clerk's report, intensified the police dragnet, thrusting the case into the public consciousness.