The HILLA Children - 10 yo Twin Boys and 8 yo Sister - Eldorado NM

An Eldorado mother is beside herself with worry as authorities
continue to search for her ex-husband who vanished Tuesday with the
couple's three children. "I'm complete and totally lost,"
Johanna Hilla told reporters Thursday. "I am a mother and that is my
job. And they are gone." The U.S. Marshals Service has now
joined the search for Stephen Hilla and his three children. Hilla, who
has a violent criminal history, has been tracked to Texas and may be on
his way to North Carolina. On Tuesday Hilla picked up 10-year-old
twin boys Timothy and Justin and daughter Emily, 8, for a lunch but never returned.



Johanna Hilla said her ex-husband's alcohol abuse and violent behavior
has made for a messy custody battle.
"I think this is his way to hurt me," she said. "He lost everything he has
by virtue of the divorce and through things that have gone on, and I
have the children all the time." A warrant was issued for
Hilla's arrest, but that was after a Texas officer ran a check on his
license plate which came back clean Tuesday evening. The officer did
not actually stop Hilla, who is reported to be driving a dark-blue
Dodge Ram 1500 two-wheel drive pickup truck with New Mexico license
plate 101-PTD. On Wednesday Hilla's credit card was used at a
gas station in Amarillo, Texas. Authorities think he could be heading
to his hometown of Wilmington, N.C., with the kids. Johanna Hilla said
does not think her ex would hurt their kids but said he is unstable making
anything is possible. Stephen Hilla has served time for shooting at a co-worker,
running from the police and trying to strangle his now ex-wife.
Now Johanna Hilla is just trying to keep herself together. "I
guess I am the only thing I can control right now," she said. "If I
fall apart and become a basket case, I won't be any good to my kids
when they do show up." She said she is confident her kids will
be home soon. The first thing she will do is hug them and then fight
for full custody so this never happens again, she added.
While she has custody of the children, her husband was
granted visitation rights in the divorce. Hilla
is described as being 6-foot-4, 170 pounds with blond hair and blue
eyes. In addition to the children he is believed to be traveling with
his two dogs, a black Chow-Labrador mix and a red-and-tan miniature
dachshund. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Hilla
or the children can contact the Santa Fe County sheriff at 505-428-3720
or call 911.

The El Dorado man with a violent past who disappeared with his three kids last week was arrested in Florida on Sunday.
Stephen Hilla picked up his kids from his ex-wife last Tuesday to take them to lunch and never returned.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department issued a warrant for his arrest and police across the country were on the lookout.

After nearly a week traveling across the county, Hilla was found in Key West, Florida at a state park.

Someone called police for an animal welfare check after they saw Hilla had left his two dogs in his truck.

"When
the ranger came to check it out, he ran the individual in the NCIC
computer and the warrant came up," Investigator Larry Flynn of the New
Mexico Probation and Parole division said. "Mr. Hilla was arrested and
his children were placed in safe custody."

Johanna Hilla is
the mother of the three children. She said the past few days have been
agonizing not knowing if or when her children would ever come home. "That was the best phone call that I could have gotten today," Hilla said. She said she is thankful her kids are coming home. "Im
going to give them biggest hug in the world," Hilla said. "I am trying
to figure out how i am going to hug all three of them at once without
falling over in the airport." Stephen Hilla will be coming home too, but without his kids and in handcuffs. "I
know he wanted to spend some time with his kids," Flynn said. "But this
was a bad way to do it, and now it's going to be a long time before he
sees them again."

Investigators said Stephen Hilla will be
charged with child abduction and endangerment. He will also face
punishment for violating the terms of his probation.

U.S. Marshals or New Mexico authorities will bring Hilla back to the state within the next few days.