A Mattawa man has been arrested for the Oct. 16 murder of Carmelita Lopez-Santos of Yakima.

Jose Abilion Aguilar Aguilar, 35, of Mattawa was arrested earlier this week and booked into the Grant County Jail on charges of first degree murder, alien in possession of a firearm, felony harassment and intimidating a witness.

Santos' family had called the crime tips e-mail line to let the sheriff's office know that she was missing; her body was found by a hunter in a recreation area off Road 26 Southwest� near Mattawa on Oct. 16.

The investigation into her killing revealed that Aguilar and Carmelia Lopez-Santos, 42, had been romantically involved and he was upset when she ended the relationship.

On Wednesday the Grant County coroner confirmed Santos had been killed by multiple gunshot wounds to the head, torso and extremities.

Robert and Michelle Staats pleaded not guilty to criminal mistreatment charges for the injuries their two-year-old child sustained from severe malnourishment.

The Staats entered their pleas Tuesday morning in a Grant County courtroom in Ephrata.

Robert and Michelle Staats have a history of giving birth at home without doctors or midwives to help and their latest child Elijah was no exception. When Elijah started losing weight during the first year of his life his parents fell back on their belief in natural medicine, but a year later even their naturopathic doctor admitted that the almost two-year-old Elijah was critically ill and needed medical treatment or he would die.

video According to court records the Staats chose prayer instead, and continued their search for a natural solution.

Detectives with the Grant County Sheriff's Office are investigating the discovery of a body found near the 12000 block of County Road 10-Northeast.

The body was found lying in a ditch by a motorist driving by the scene.

Early evidence collected from the scene indicates that the person died as a result of homicidal violence.

County Road 10-Northeast is temporarily closed east of County Road K while detectives investigate the crime scene. There's no estimate on when the road will reopen.