CLEARFIELD -- Astrid Valdivia's family now knows the 13-year-old girl was the second person killed Sunday outside a Walmart in Port Orchard, Wash.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Krista Hedstrom confirmed on Friday the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office used dental records to identify Valdivia.
"We're saddened by this news, and right now, our thoughts and focus are on the family and helping with their needs at this point," said Sgt. Gary Keller, of the South Salt Lake Police Department.
Keller said, with the identity now known, there are a lot of questions the family needs answered.
Five agencies are working together in the investigation as the South Salt Lake Police Department tries to determine what happened with its investigation into the runaway and the Davis County Attorney's Office continues to work on the previous kidnapping charges against Anthony Allen Martinez, who was also killed outside the Port Orchard store.
Also, the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office is still determining which gun fired the bullets that hit Valdivia, while the Kitsap County Sheriff's Department deals with its injured deputies and the Washington State Patrol investigates the shooting.
A spokesperson for the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office told the Standard-Examiner that Valdivia died from several gunshot wounds. It is still not known whose gun fired the bullets.
Hedstrom said evidence from the shooting has been sent to the Washington State Crime Lab for forensic testing on the weapons involved. Results could take several weeks.
On Sunday, three Kitsap County sheriff deputies were involved in an exchange of gunfire with Martinez. Two of the deputies were wounded.
"Valdivia was with Anthony A. Martinez as he opened fire on two Kitsap County deputies, wounding them," Hedstrom said. "Deputies returned fire, and Martinez was pronounced dead at the scene."
Following the shooting, Valdivia was taken to Tacoma General Hospital, where she later died.
Utah police and Valdivia's family in Clearfield believed the girl was with Martinez.
Earlier in the week, Chris Bateman, a spokesman for Valdivia's family, said the family was almost positive she was the unidentified person in the shooting.
The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office waited for dental records to arrive before confirming that Valdivia was the girl killed.
Martinez had been scheduled to appear in the 2nd District Court in Farmington on Jan. 26 to face charges of kidnapping Valdivia. He was free on $25,000 bail.
Valdivia, who was attending North Davis Junior High School at the time of her first disappearance, left a note for her family on Sept. 24 telling them she had run away.
Police in Sacramento found the pair in October, and Martinez was extradited from California, while Valdivia was returned to her family and then sent to a foster home in South Salt Lake.
On Jan. 18, she took off her ankle monitor and disappeared from the foster home, causing South Salt Lake police to put out an endangered persons advisory.
Bateman said the teen's family believed Martinez and Valdivia were romantically involved.
However, Martinez's family offered different opinions about the relationship.
Martinez's brother, Barrett, said Martinez was more of a father figure for Valdivia.
A fund under the name of Jaqulin Rimolia, Valdivia's mother, has been set up at Wells Fargo banks to help Valdivia's family with the cost of bringing her body back to Utah and holding a funeral.




Comments