A 31-year-old woman from Missouri is in custody for allegedly shooting three people across two states, resulting in two fatalities, according to police reports to the Kansas City Star.
Taylor Santiago, from Aurora, reportedly decided to kill her estranged husband, Troy Huffman, along with her ex and his girlfriend while she was out getting coffee at a Casey’s General Store on January 22. Investigators stated that she invited Huffman to her home
“under the pretenses of seeing a child.”
The two share a 12-year-old son. Upon his arrival, Santiago instructed the boy to cover his ears, claiming
“she was going to take care of the bad guys,”
as detailed in a probable cause affidavit.
After leaving the boy’s room, she shot Huffman with a revolver, as stated in the affidavit. When he didn’t fall after the first shot, she fired again about a second later. Investigators reported that Huffman collapsed by the door, and Santiago dragged him out of the way before taking his keys and stealing his car, reports note. She then drove approximately 50 miles southeast to Carroll County, Arkansas, intending to kill two others.
According to Aurora police, Santiago shot her ex and his girlfriend. Her child was present at the home during the incident however, he was unharmed. The girlfriend died, while the ex was critically injured and taken to the hospital. Santiago returned to Aurora and surrendered to police, admitting to shooting three people, as detailed in the affidavit. Police Chief Wes Coatney indicated that the killings were likely driven by child custody disputes with her estranged husband and her ex.
“The Aurora-Marionville Police Department is actively working with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office in Arkansas to assist with their investigation into the homicide reported in that jurisdiction,”
police said. Santiago was arrested and taken to the Lawrence County Jail on January 23. She faces charges including murder, robbery, unlawful use of a weapon, and endangering the welfare of children, records show.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
Mom allegedly gunned down estranged husband — then drove across state lines to shoot another ex and his new girlfriend: ‘She’s a monster’ https://t.co/zEjnMIkvio pic.twitter.com/3UD4IE3BhE
— New York Post (@nypost) January 30, 2025