Lutz family, missing from Newton, IL since February, found safe in Arizona

NEWTON, Ill. -- A Newton, Illinois, family who had not been heard from in nearly nine weeks has been found safe in Arizona.

"I hope that they're alive, and they just took off to get away, so that he, I don't know, so he wouldn't get in trouble with law enforcement," Brittany Lutz told WICS.

Lutz didn't know that her wish would soon come true. Around 2 p.m. Monday, a deputy in Cochise County, Arizona made contact with Monica Lutz and the boys, then later with Stephen Lutz.

"Just a few minutes ago, I talked to a Cochise County deputy in Arizona who actually made contact with Monica and the two boys separate from Stephen. As he describes, the boys look healthy, she was fine, she even told them where to find Stephen, who at the time was working at a shop nearby," said Brittany Lutz, Stephen Lutz's adult daughter.

Prior to Monday, Stephen and Monica Lutz and their two sons, Nicholas and Aiden, were last heard from on Feb. 10, the day they were reported missing by Brittany Lutz. She and others were concerned for the safety of the family, as they say Stephen Lutz has a history with mental illness, violence and drug use.

On Feb. 10, a U-Haul was seen at the Lutz house attached to Stephen Lutz's truck, but the family told no one they were leaving or where they were going. A few days later on Feb. 14, the family's phones were pinged in Richmond, Indiana, but disconnected shortly after, according to the Missing Persons Awareness Network.

Gia Wright, president and founder of the Missing Persons Awareness Network, said she and team members went inside the Lutz house to see if they could get answers, and it was in disarray.

"All the clothes are everywhere. Clothes in the laundry," she said. There was clothes in a suitcase that was half open. It definitely wasn't locked, and you have a mix of his clothes and her clothes in there but none of the child's stuff looks like it's missing."

Newton police said they released an attempt to locate the Lutz family on Feb. 14, though there was no evidence that the family was in immediate danger.

SEE MORE: Illinois family missing for 9 weeks, some believe children are in danger

Newton Police Chief Riley Britton said the family was located through the use of license plate readers.

"We were getting assistance from state police, and were using license plate readers. We noticed a pattern over in this area in Arizona, and that's what led to where we were able to make contact today," Britton said.

Stephen Lutz is currently out on bond and facing a charge of domestic battery. Conditions for his bond include that he was to not make contact with Monica Lutz or their children.

Right now, he has a warrant for his arrest in Illinois because of a missed court date during the time of the family's disappearance.

"Early January, he was talking to a clown mask on the wall saying, 'yes I know what I need to do, I need to kill three people. First my wife, Monica, then my son, Aiden, then my son, Nicholas,'" Brittany Lutz said.

Illinois officials cannot act on the warrant because Lutz is out of state.

"As far as that end, we're gonna go ahead and do the necessary and what we need to do. We'll go ahead and finish that report. We'll send it to the state's attorney and go from there," Britton said.

Brittany Lutz said she's so thankful her family is alive, but she's still very worried about the boys and how they are being treated since they were not spoken to alone from her understanding.