A three-month-old infant is missing, and the search has rapidly escalated into a multi-county emergency. On Wednesday morning, July 1, 2026, the California Highway Patrol issued a targeted Amber Alert for Maxence Sirois. The infant was last seen days ago in Hayward, but state authorities didn't just blast local cell phones—they blanketed a massive corridor stretching from the East Bay down to Southern California.
If you are driving along Interstate 5 or Highway 99 right now, you need to know exactly who and what to look for.
The suspect isn't a stranger. Hayward police confirmed they are looking for the child's biological mother, 42-year-old Marina Kazakova. According to investigators, Kazakova blatantly violated a court-ordered custody agreement on June 30, failing to return the infant to his father before vanishing.
The Timeline and Description You Need to Memorize
Waiting several days to issue an alert might seem confusing, but the timeline explains the gap. Maxence was last seen on Sunday, June 28, around 1 a.m. near the intersection of McBride Lane and Underwood Avenue in Hayward. However, the legal custody handoff wasn't officially breached until Tuesday, June 30. Once the father realized the mother had fled, police moved quickly to trigger the state's highest emergency broadcast system.
Do not look for a toddler. Maxence is a vulnerable three-month-old infant. He is roughly 24 inches long, weighs 16 pounds, has blue eyes, and is currently bald. Because of his age, he is entirely dependent on adult care, making his recovery an absolute race against time.
The woman police are hunting for stands 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 128 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. When she was last seen, she was wearing a simple black shirt paired with blue jeans.
Why the Search Covers Such a Massive Footprint
You might wonder why a disappearance in Alameda County triggers immediate alerts in Kern and Los Angeles counties hundreds of miles away. The answer comes down to the vehicle and California's geography.
Kazakova is believed to be driving a white 2016 Mazda CX-5 SUV displaying California license plate 7SJW989.
A white crossover vehicle blends in seamlessly on any major California freeway. Because the mother had a head start after skipping the custody exchange, she could easily be anywhere along the state’s central transit arteries. Law enforcement specificially activated the Amber Alert for four key counties:
- Alameda County (The point of origin)
- San Joaquin County (The gateway to the Central Valley)
- Kern County (The southern bottleneck of the valley)
- Los Angeles County (The massive metro area at the end of the I-5 corridor)
By targeting these areas, the California Highway Patrol is effectively tracking a known transit path, anticipating she may be heading south toward Southern California or hiding out in the Central Valley.
The Harsh Reality of Parental Abductions
Many people mistakenly dismiss Amber Alerts when the suspect is a parent, assuming the child is safe. Experienced family law attorneys and law enforcement officials know that is a dangerous assumption. According to data from the California Department of Justice, the vast majority of Amber Alerts in the state actually involve parental or familial abductions.
The state does not issue these alerts lightly. For a parental dispute to escalate to an Amber Alert, law enforcement must possess specific evidence that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death. Desperation changes people. A parent facing the loss of custody can become erratic, and a three-month-old infant requires constant, specialized care that a fleeing suspect may struggle to provide.
What to Do If You Spot the Vehicle
If you are traveling through the Central Valley or the greater Los Angeles area, keep a close eye on the parking lots of rest stops, gas stations, and motels along the freeway.
If you see a white Mazda CX-5 matching the license plate 7SJW989, do not attempt to intervene yourself. Desperate individuals can react unpredictably when cornered. Instead, immediately dial 911. Note your exact location, the direction the vehicle is traveling, and any distinguishing marks or damage on the car. Your quick call could be the exact break investigators need to bring Maxence home safely.
