ONTARIO, Ore -- Authorities have released the names of two people killed after a reported kidnapping and head-on crash near Ontario Monday morning.
Malheur County District Attorney David Goldthorpe said police identified the woman found dead inside the suspect's pickup as 40-year-old Annita S. Harmon of Weiser.
Harmon had been kidnapped by 49-year-old Anthony Montwheeler of Nampa, according to police. Court documents show Harmon and Montwheeler filed for divorce in 2014.
Her car had earlier been found abandoned in the middle of a Weiser street, according to authorities. A 911 caller reported seeing Montwheeler stab Harmon at the JNJ Corner Store in Ontario, prompting a police chase.
As Montwheeler sped south on Highway 201, Goldthorpe said he swerved in front of an oncoming SUV, hitting it head-on.
The driver of the SUV, identified as 38-year-old David Bates of Vale, Oregon was killed. Bates' wife Jessica - who had been riding in the passenger seat - and Montwheeler were both injured in the collision.
Both were listed in stable condition Tuesday, Goldthorpe said.
Family members described David Bates as a devoted family man and committed member of the Vale community. He and his wife have five children - four sons and a daughter - ranging in age from 4 to 11.
Both David and Jessica Bates worked as radiology technicians at Saint Alphonsus Ontario, their family says.
Harmon's body was found in Montwheeler's passenger seat in the aftermath of the wreck. Police say they are still working to determine whether she was killed in the crash or was already dead when Montwheeler veered into the path of the Bates' vehicle.
Montwheeler, who remains hospitalized, will be charged after a grand jury proceedings, the district attorney said.
