An Illinois family reportedly disappeared back in February, leaving their loved ones desperately searching for answers. Stephen Lutz, 44, and Monica Lutz, 34, reportedly packed up their young sons, Nicholas, 9, and Aiden, 11, in a U-Haul and left their small hometown of Newton. Stephen Lutz's adult daughter, Brittany Lutz, has used Facebook to spread the word about her missing family, but there have not been any breaks in the case.
The Newton Police Department issued a news release last week via the Jasper County Daily News stating that Stephen Lutz appeared in court via Zoom in January 2023 on a domestic battery charge. The court released him on bond, with the stipulation he could not contact the victim — who appears to be his wife — or enter the family's home. Although the charges are pending, police have issued a warrant for Stephen Lutz's arrest and are actively seeking him amid the family's disappearance but assert he is innocent until proven guilty.
More From CafeMom: Military Couple Begs Thieves Who Stole Their U-Haul To Return Their Son's Ashes
The last time anyone heard from the family was in February.
Brittany Lutz told WCIA she had contact with her brother Aiden in February via text message. He reportedly wrote, "There's nothing to do when we're not going somewhere."
He told her the family was going on a vacation, but he didn't know where and that it would probably be "boring." Brittany Lutz said she contacted her father to stop him from taking the boys away.
"On February 14 I did text my father Stephen and said if they needed to get away, I could take the boys and just get them back to a normal life. He said they have a normal life, they aren't together and he's not allowed to be around them," she said.
Stephen Lutz's final text to his daughter read, "There is nothing wrong with our house or how we raise our children. So thank you for the offer but all we need is love, support, togetherness and healing."
The family left without telling anyone where they were going.
The Lutz family didn't mention their plans to leave to family or friends but someone had shut off the electricity to their home just days after they left, the New York Post reported.
The family's cell phones reportedly pinged near Indianapolis on February 11 and then in Richmond, Indiana, on February 14. The phones were disconnected soon afterward, and there have been no further leads in the case.
The family left their home in shambles.
According to the Missing Persons Awareness Network, members of the organization visited the home with police on April 3. The home's windows were reportedly covered with sheets so no one could see inside. Police surveyed the scene, confirming the family was not inside. Although Stephen Lutz reportedly hooked a U-Haul trailer up to his truck, no one reported seeing the family enter the truck and leave.
The Missing Persons Awareness Network said the family and the Department of Children and Family Services alleged the once-pristine home looked like a "tornado struck through every inch of the house." It appeared that the family left everything behind, including children's clothes in drawers and a half-eaten cake on the table.
Aiden Lutz may have walked in on his father saying frightening things.
Both Brittany Lutz and the boys' grandmother told the Missing Persons Awareness Network that Aiden told them he walked in on his father talking while wearing a clown mask and detailing a gruesome plan. He purportedly said, "I know what I must do. I have to kill three people. I have to kill my wife first, then Aiden, then Nicholas.'"
No one reported the alleged incident to police or DCFS before the family disappeared. The mask was not found in the house when organization members visited April 3.
More From CafeMom: Former Marine Called 'Man of the Year' for Rescuing Toddler Missing More Than 24 Hours
There is reportedly a history of domestic violence and drug use in the home.
In a Facebook post from April 4, Brittany Lutz claimed that her father had been a drug addict since 2006 and has been charged with multiple counts of domestic abuse. She claimed several women have contacted her with stories about her father, alleging that he mistreated them.
Brittany Lutz also wrote that her father was arrested for soliciting a minor in 2020. Her post mentioned other domestic violence cases that ended tragically, and she pleaded for help.
"So I'm asking everyone who knows them, has seen them, has heard of them, and specifically the Newton Police Department and the court system here in Newton to take this as serious as they possibly can even if they've known him his whole life or even if you don't think he's capable of it," she concluded her post. "You NEVER know what someone is capable of."
The family is offering a $20,000 reward to anyone leading them to Nicholas and Aiden.
