The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help tracking down a second suspect in a multi-vehicle theft operation that has been quietly working its way through the county since mid-May. The first suspect is already behind bars. The second one is still out there, and law enforcement wants to make that situation very short-lived.
The suspect in question is Jose Cortez Aguayo, 20 years old, believed to have worked alongside another individual to steal multiple cars across the county. That partner was taken into custody on May 30 and is currently sitting in the Kittitas County Jail. Cortez Aguayo, however, had other plans when deputies came calling that same day. He ran, and he has not been found since.
The two vehicles directly tied to Cortez Aguayo tell a familiar story: a white BMW 328, stolen on May 13, and a Hyundai, taken on May 30 and later recovered abandoned near Easton. One is a luxury import that thieves have coveted for decades. The other is a Korean economy car that has become, improbably, one of the most targeted vehicles in the entire country. Together, they paint a picture of an operation that wasn’t particularly selective.
What makes this more than a routine car theft bulletin is the profile of the man authorities are looking for. Cortez Aguayo is believed to be an active gang member, has a large tattoo across the front of his neck reading “OTB,” and is wanted not just in Kittitas County but in connection with multiple cases in King County as well. Authorities have also noted he may be armed. This is not a situation where a deputy is hoping to hand someone a citation.
Who Is Jose Cortez Aguayo
Cortez Aguayo is described as approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall and around 200 pounds, with long hair and a beard. The sheriff’s office has noted he has connections in Renton and family ties in the Easton area, which likely explains why a stolen Hyundai ended up abandoned in that vicinity.
The charges he faces are substantial: motor vehicle theft, possession of stolen firearms, eluding, obstructing, and resisting arrest. The possession of stolen firearms charge is particularly notable, adding a federal dimension to what might otherwise read as a garden-variety theft case. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office at (509) 925-8534 and ask for Deputy RJ Johnston.
The BMW and the Hyundai: An Unlikely Pairing
A BMW 328 and a Hyundai showing up in the same theft case is worth pausing on. The Hyundai Elantra was the most stolen vehicle in Washington State in 2024, and remained the most stolen vehicle in the country through the first half of 2025. The vulnerability of certain Hyundai and Kia models to theft became something of a national embarrassment after a social media trend in 2022 essentially broadcast how easy they were to steal, and the problem has been slow to fully resolve.
The BMW is a different story. Luxury vehicles attract thieves for obvious reasons: resale value, parts markets, and the perception that owners may not park in well-lit areas or invest in secondary security. A 3-series is not a rare car, but it is a desirable one, and its theft here suggests this operation was not simply grabbing whatever was convenient.
Washington State’s Car Theft Landscape
Kittitas County might seem like an unlikely setting for an organized theft ring, but the broader context of Washington State’s relationship with auto crime makes it less surprising. A study by SaveMaxAuto found Washington ranked second in the nation for vehicle thefts between 2021 and 2025, with nearly 186,000 vehicles stolen over that five-year period. Over a third of those thefts occurred at or near victims’ homes.
The good news is that the numbers have been improving. Washington experienced the largest percentage decrease of any state in 2025, with 39 percent fewer vehicles stolen compared to 2024. Much of that credit goes to a 2024 update to the state’s pursuit laws, which gave officers clearer authority to chase suspects in appropriate circumstances. Sgt. Darren Moss of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department attributed the decline in part to focused efforts targeting prolific offenders, noting that arresting just a handful of repeat suspects can remove dozens of vehicles from the monthly theft count. Organized theft rings operating across multiple counties are precisely the kind of target that shift those statistics.
What Comes Next
With one suspect already jailed and a second actively sought, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office has made clear this case is not closed. The multi-county reach of the investigation, touching both Kittitas and King counties, suggests investigators have been working this for a while and are not simply reacting to two stolen cars. The public tip line exists for a reason, and in rural Washington counties, community awareness often closes cases that would otherwise go cold.
If you have information about Cortez Aguayo’s location, contact Deputy RJ Johnston at the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office: (509) 925-8534.