BRUTAL

Father-Daughter Duo Abducted, Raped, and Left Woman to Die in Desert: Police

The woman survived after being left for dead in the desert following a brutal week in captivity.

A father and daughter from California abducted a woman from Las Vegas and held her captive for a week, beating and raping her, before dumping her in the desert and leaving her to die, police said Friday. The woman, identified only as being in her 40s, survived the ordeal and was found by military personnel near the Edwards Air Force Base outside of Los Angeles earlier this week. “It’s a vicious case,” Los Angeles County sheriff’s Capt. Eduardo Hernandez said at a Friday press conference. The suspects, identified as 54-year-old Stanley Alfred Lawton and 22-year-old Shaniya Nicole Poche-Lawton, allegedly kidnapped the woman at gunpoint before holding her at Lawton’s home in Palmdale, California. Police said the two are believed to have known the victim, though the motive remains unclear. The father and daughter each face charges of kidnapping to commit a robbery, attempted murder, kidnapping from outside the state, rape, and first-degree ATM robbery.