Woman found in desert after harrowing, weeklong kidnapping

A suburban Las Vegas woman dragged to California by father-and-daughter kidnappers was found cold but alive after a harrowing, weeklong kidnapping where she was raped, robbed and left for dead in the desert, authorities said.

Stanley Alfred Lawton, 54, and Shaniya Nicole Poche-Lawton, 22, dumped the woman off a highway near Edwards Air Force Base north of Los Angeles, where she was found by military personnel early Wednesday, Los Angeles County sheriff's Capt. Eduardo Hernandez told reporters Friday.

"It's a vicious case," Hernandez said.

While officials said Lawton and Poche-Lawton knew the victim, authorities didn't provide a motive for the attack. It couldn't immediately be determined if the pair had lawyers yet who could speak on their behalf.

The woman in her 40s was kidnapped in North Las Vegas on October 30, Hernandez said.

"It's at gunpoint, it's by force, the victim is then transported across state lines, held in a house inside of a room for at least a week," he said. "At some point, she was sexually assaulted and then left for dead."