L.A. County Officials Find Missing Family

For nearly five months, authorities have been wondering what happened to the Henderson family.

On Thursday, they found the family -- outside Las Vegas.

The Hendersons made headlines in January when firefighters rescued them from a raging river near San Dimas during a heavy rainstorm. The rescue was covered live by local TV news.

But county officials then took custody of the couple’s two small children, claiming the parents failed to protect their children during the rescue.

In February, Judge Philip L. Soto returned the children to the couple -- but warned them not to make him regret his decision.

The couple were told not to leave California, but authorities lost touch with the Hendersons a few weeks later. Soto then issued a protective custody warrant for the children and arrest warrants for the parents.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Clark County’s Department of Family Services found the family Thursday in Henderson, Nev.

Police Sgt. Chris Jones said his office had gotten a call from the county asking for help in executing a California court order to take the children back into custody. He said the children were taken to a foster facility called Child Haven in Las Vegas.

Social workers from Los Angeles were traveling Thursday afternoon to Las Vegas to bring them back here, said Louise Grasmehr, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

Jeffrey Henderson said he and his wife didn’t know they were barred from leaving the state.

The Hendersons said they tried living in San Diego for a while, but moved to Las Vegas three months ago when they couldn’t find decent jobs.

Jeffrey Henderson said he has prospects in Las Vegas for jobs as a computer graphic designer.

Erica Henderson said she has started working as a stripper to pay their rent and expenses.

Nathan Hoffman, Jeffrey Henderson’s lawyer in Los Angeles, said he would ask that the children be returned to the parents.

The Hendersons are scheduled to appear Monday at Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Court in Monterey Park.