Kidnapping Suspects Arrested at Bay Bridge Tolls – Mother and Baby Rescued
– By Jim Emerson
OAKLAND, CA — Suspects arrested at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge toll plaza allegedly
kidnapped a mother and baby. Messiah K. Mayfield, 24, and Adajah M. Featherstone, 27,
both of Oakland, face multiple charges including kidnapping.
The abduction occurred May 4 at 6:15 p.m. at 12th Avenue and International Boulevard.
Oakland officers responded to the reported kidnapping, which happened in front of witnesses.
The kidnappers fled before police arrived.
Incidentally, both suspects had been released recently from jail, after being arrested the prior
day for an unrelated matter.
The victim was forced into a black Dodge Challenger by the armed kidnappers. An automated
license plate reader recorded the car at the scene. Additional video evidence was obtained
from nearby businesses.
The mother was separated from her 7-month old daughter. The baby became ‘collateral’ to
ensure the mother’s cooperation, and pressure her family in Marin County for ransom.
Later the getaway car was tracked traveling towards the Bay Bridge. Alameda County
Sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol pursued it. Deputies made a high-risk stop at
the tolls, where Mayfield and Featherstone were arrested.
The victim was rescued at the bridge, and a search began to find her baby. Meanwhile, a
search of the car uncovered two loaded handguns.
Mayfield and Featherstone were booked into Alameda County Santa Rita Jail. Mayfield remains
in custody ineligible for release on bond. He was on probation stemming from a 2023
conviction for assault with a firearm.
Featherstone remains in custody in lieu of $550,000 bond, and she faces additional firearms-
related charges. Featherstone has a prior conviction for second-degree robbery in 2022, and
she has a grand theft case pending in Marin County.
The baby was found later safe at a motel on MacArthur Boulevard and returned to her mother.
The child was being ‘watched” by an associate of the suspects, who is being investigated.
