Kazakh-Born Woman Wanted by Interpol, Accused of Child Abduction

Sana Onayeva and Guillaume Garreau met in 2019 in the United States. They married in San Francisco, California, in 2020, and a year later their son, Maximilien, was born.

Now, Sana is wanted by Interpol and is believed to be hiding in Kazakhstan with the four-year-old boy, while her ex-husband writes his second story and speaks publicly.

Orda.kz learned how it all unfolded.

At a meeting with journalists, Guillaume’s lawyer, Abzal Kasymzhanov, acted as spokesperson. Guillaume joined online from the U.S. The lawyer recounted the legal battles between Guillaume and Sana, while Guillaume appeared on screen to ask for help locating his son in Kazakhstan and bringing him home.

Guillaume organized this event himself. It’s his second press conference — the first one was held in March. Today he is again appealing to Kazakhstanis for help finding his abducted minor son,Kasymzhanov said. 

Sana moved to the United States in 2004. She is a lawyer by training. Her marriage to Guillaume was her second.

According to Guillaume, Sana told him she had divorced her first husband, Eduardo — also an American — because he did not want to have children.

The Dispute

Officially, conflicts between Sana and Guillaume began in February 2023. Guillaume filed a complaint accusing his wife of assault and obtained a restraining order against her. According to Kasymzhanov, Sana in turn accused Guillaume of beating her and their child — but failed to prove it.

The Kazakh court established that Onayeva had falsely accused Guillaume of domestic violence against her and the child. None of her claims were confirmed, the lawyer said.

In March 2024, Sana took Maximilien and traveled to Almaty for Nauryz. She had return tickets, but never came back to the U.S. In April 2024, Guillaume’s lawyer filed a lawsuit; Sana’s Kazakh residence permit was revoked, and she was stripped of custody. In May, U.S. authorities issued a warrant for her arrest. By November 2024, a juvenile court in Almaty ruled the case a child abduction, since all three are American citizens.

While divorce proceedings were still ongoing, the court finalized their divorce in August 2024.

Guillaume’s attorney filed a criminal complaint for child abduction in Kazakhstan. The Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Sana and Maximilien on a search list and banned them from leaving the country. Since September 2025, they have also been wanted by Interpol.

After the court ruling ordering her to return the child came into force, she cut off contact and regularly changed her phone numbers. We were forced to ask police to open a criminal case for child abduction,the lawyer explained. 

After the juvenile court’s ruling took effect, the father repeatedly came to Kazakhstan to take his son. But Sana Onayeva, having lost every case in Kazakhstan and the U.S., continues to hide and refuses to return the child. Her representatives filed an appeal against the juvenile court’s decision, but in September 2025, the cassation court ruled in favor of the father,said Kasymzhanov. 

During the 19 months since Guillaume last saw his son, he has written one story and begun a second.
The first story, he says, was about his love for Maximilien, asserting that he did not abandon him and that the boy’s father is not to blame. The second, he admits, is about his ex-wife.

According to Guillaume’s lawyer, the author described Sana as emotionally unstable and said he had suspected she might plan to flee with the child.

After their divorce, Sana attended anger-management sessions.

Sana’s mother, Sara Yermekova, and her brother, Zhan Onayev, are U.S. citizens who moved to Kazakhstan, where they stayed with Sana’s aunt, Saule Yermekova.

There’s a statement from the aunt allowing Sana and the child to live with her. But when the search was announced in Kazakhstan, the aunt said she didn’t know them and that the boy wasn’t living there, said the lawyer.

Guillaume believes it was Sana’s mother who encouraged her to flee, telling her that to be a “real mother,” she must have 100% contact with her child. Whether Sara’s stay in Kazakhstan is legal is not being reviewed, the lawyer added.

Guillaume has spent over $150,000 on lawyers and court proceedings. He says mental coaching and sports help him manage the stress. Asked by a reporter if he misses Sana, he said he doesn’t. Guillaume said that if Sana could hear him, he would ask her to be a responsible mother and bring their child back.

He added that if Sana returned to the U.S., he might be able to forgive her, though that would not mean reconciliation. Asked if he would prevent her from contacting their son, Guillaume replied that as the sole custodian, he would still allow her to communicate with him.

Sana owes legal fees in the U.S. from her court battles. If she returns, she faces arrest and imprisonment for child abduction.

According to Kasymzhanov, she remains untraceable because she constantly changes addresses and has no phone number registered in her name in Kazakhstan. Her lawyers have refused to comment or meet in person.

Maximilien has been diagnosed with autism.

What does she have now? She’s wanted by Interpol. Proceedings are underway to revoke her U.S. law license. She’s being sought by Kazakh authorities. The child is in isolation. She can’t work without a residence permit. Her actions are harming not only the child but herself, Kasymzhanov concluded.

Orda.kz tried to contact Sana Onayeva and her representatives, but as of publication, was unable to reach them.

The newsroom will continue to follow the story.
 
Original Author: Ksenia Kleeva