Police were investigating if an Army Ranger from Wood-Ridge - who they say brutally murdered a woman at a motel outside of Seattle and opened fire on motorists before taking his own life - could be tied to other crimes.

Investigators named Krishna Mahadevan-Prasad as the suspect who killed the 38-year-old woman July 23 at a Renton, Washington, Econo Lodge Hotel. The woman, whose name has not been released, was found dead in her room with "numerous cut wounds" and signs the body was intentionally mutilated after her death.

Mahadevan-Prasad's bizarre spree ended the next day when he fired at drivers near the Hood Canal Bridge some 30 miles from Seattle, authorities said.

Armed with a rifle and a shotgun, the soldier fired at a Ford SUV carrying a man who was stopped with his sleeping 5-year-old and 6-year-old daughters, according to the Washington State Patrol.

One round ripped through the driver's seat headrest and out the front windshield as the motorist was leaning over the passenger seat to check a map, according to police.

Mahadevan-Prasad fired more shots at a Dodge Caravan stopped behind his car, according to the state patrol. A round grazed the man's elbow.

Police said the barrage of gunfire ended when Mahadevan-Prasad apparently shot himself.

UPDATE: The front vehicle (a Ford SUV) had a father and his 5 and 6 year old daughters in the vehicle. Shots missed both girls, who were asleep. One bullet went through the driver's seat head rest, missing dad, who was leaning toward the passenger seat. pic.twitter.com/LXdWBiVOSU — Trooper Chelsea Hodgson (@wspd8pio) July 24, 2018

As the investigation continued, it remained unclear why the elite soldier apparently carried out the attacks and police have not revealed any ties between Mahadevan-Prasad and his victims.

"The whole thing's crazy. If you add up what happened at the Hood Canal, there's so many unanswered questions," Renton police Commander Dave Leibman told The Seattle Times.

Police also recovered chilling security footage that showed Mahadevan-Prasad in the slain woman's hotel room for only three minutes. The two were staying in different areas of the hotel.

"The camera shows him knocking on the door and the door opening," Leibman told the newspaper.

A Washington State Patrol spokeswoman on Thursday said the agency had no new information on the shooting probe. Renton police have asked the public to help track 20-year-old Mahadevan-Prasad's activities in the time before and after the murder.

Update regarding homicide suspect It has now been confirmed that the suspect was active duty Army stationed at JBLM. ... Posted by Renton Police Department, WA on Wednesday, July 25, 2018

"The circumstances of the Renton homicide have investigators concerned that Mahadevan-Prasad may be responsible for other acts of violence," the department said in a statement.

"Mahadevan-Prasad was active duty military and his travels are unknown," police said.

Mahadevan-Prasad joined in the Army in September 2017, according to officials. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington as of July 10.

He attended One Station Unit Training, the Basic Airborne Course and the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program 1 at Fort Benning, Georgia, according to Army officials. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

"We are aware of the incident that occurred July 24th, 2018 in the vicinity of Hood Canal Bridge, and are cooperating with the Washington State Patrol who maintain lead in this investigation," said Lt. Col. Robert Bockholt, spokesman for the Army Special Operations Command.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.