A 3-month-old baby boy has been found safe after he was allegedly abducted by his mother in Los Angeles.
The Hayward Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Wednesday, July 1, that the child was found “safe and unharmed,” and his mother, Marina Kazakova, has since been taken into custody.
In light of the update, the California Highway Patrol announced they called off their Amber Alert on the child that same day. The Hayward Police Department also said in its statement that officers were in the process of reuniting the child with his father.
Police did not reveal in the press release how they found Kazakova, 42, and her son, though the Los Angeles Times reported that California Highway Patrol officers found the mother’s vehicle near a parking lot around 11:55 a.m. at Wilshire Boulevard and Veteran Avenue in West Los Angeles.
It is not currently clear how police located her vehicle or if they were tipped off about her whereabouts. However, the police department noted in their press release that the media’s assistance “played an important role in raising awareness and helping bring this case to a successful conclusion.”
“The [HPD] extends its sincere gratitude to the [CHP], the Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI], and our allied law enforcement partners for their outstanding collaboration, dedication, and swift response in bringing this incident to a safe resolution,” the statement read.
Kazakova and her son were located one day after an Amber Alert for the 3-month-old infant was issued on Tuesday, June 30. At the time, police claimed that “Kazakova failed to return [the child] to his father as required by a court-ordered custody agreement” and “fled to an unknown location.”
Police said in the initial press release that the boy, who was described as a “3-month-old male with a bald head, blue eyes, weighs approximately 16 pounds,” was last seen around 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 28.
Authorities described Kazakova as approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing about 128 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes and police previously said she was believed to have been driving “a white 2016 Mazda CX-5 SUV” at the time her child disappeared.
It is not currently clear if Kazakova has formally been charged following her arrest or if she has retained legal counsel. The Hayward Police Department did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
