3 kidnapped children of slain woman found safe in New Mexico

The three missing children of a woman found dead along a road in rural Los Angeles County were safely located Wednesday by authorities at a motel in New Mexico.

The children were allegedly kidnapped by the dead woman’s sister, Brittany Humphrey, 22, and Humphrey’s boyfriend, Joshua Robertson, 27, who remain at large and are considered “persons of interest” in the woman’s death, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Authorities believe that Humphrey and Robertson took the children sometime either before or after the slaying of their mother, Kimberly Harvill.

“Immediately after the murder or sometime shortly after, it is suspicious that they did not come forward to law enforcement and instead fled,” said L.A. County sheriff’s homicide Lt. Joe Mendoza.

The couple are believed to be headed east from Albuquerque, N.M. The children were left “in the care of a Good Samaritan” at a hotel near the outskirts of Albuquerque, sheriff’s officials said in a statement.

The children are Joslynn Watkins, 2; Brayden Watkins, 3; and Rylee Watkins, 5. Their father is believed to be deceased, and the children will be placed in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services. Authorities were arranging their return to California, sheriff’s officials said.

The Sheriff’s Department said the couple were probably driving a 1999 Ford Expedition, which could have either paper plates or the California license plate 7BEK024. Witnesses have given differing accounts of the car’s color, indicating it may be silver or forest green.

The vehicle may have a rear sticker that reads, “R.I.P. Chad Watkins,” a decal with a six-person, stick-figure family, or camouflage duct tape at the base of the car on the outside.

Authorities said that Robertson and Humphrey were traveling with an infant, who is not related to Harvill’s children. Identifying details about the infant were not released.

The missing children’s mother, Harvill, was found dead Aug. 14 along Gorman Post Road in Lebec, close to L.A. County’s border with Kern County.

A motorist who was taking a rest during a long drive spotted the slain woman lying in roadside brush. She had multiple upper-body gunshot wounds and head trauma, which led authorities to conclude she had been killed.

Investigators initially had difficulty identifying the body. Detectives released a composite sketch of the woman and sought the public’s help to identify her.

“Thankfully, due to the press coming out and putting that out, we were able to identify the victim,” Lt. Joe Mendoza of L.A. County Sheriff’s Homicide said in a Wednesday news conference.

Detectives determined that Harvill and the kidnapping suspects formerly lived in Fresno but were staying in Lebec in the days before the murder.

“They were known to go from motel to motel,” Mendoza said.

The couple have family in Nebraska as well as ties in Kansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Robertson, who has a criminal history and a previous arrest for possession of a firearm, and Humphrey are considered to be armed and dangerous.

“People should not approach them,” Mendoza said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact their local police immediately. They can also notify the Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500, or provide information via Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno.

UPDATES:

6:05 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the alleged kidnapping and recovery of the children.

This article was originally published at 3:20 p.m.