Missing family found safe after night in desert north of Cave Creek

A family was found safe Tuesday after spending the night in their car in the Seven Springs area northeast of Cave Creek, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said.

A woman, her three young children and her 16-year-old sister did not return home to Phoenix on Monday, officials said.

The woman's boyfriend, Steven Hancock, contacted Bartlett Lake authorities at 7:18 that evening and reported the five people missing, according to the Sheriff's Office. He also told the Phoenix Police Department they were missing, officials said.

Hancock told Bartlett Lake deputies his girlfriend and her sister could not be reached by phone.

The Sheriff Office's helicopter flew over Seven Springs and the Bartlett Lake area that night searching for the family, but could not locate them. 

The family had stayed in their vehicle overnight, waiting until morning so they could walk to an area with better cellphone reception, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Hancock told police he was contacted by his girlfriend early Tuesday, the Sheriff's Office said. She told him their vehicle had gotten stuck on Forest Road 41. 

Phoenix police and sheriff's helicopters located the family at 10:20 a.m. and returned them to safety.

None of the family members needed medical attention, according to the Sheriff's Office.