Amber Alert issued for 7-year-old who disappeared with her mother

(WJBK) - The search for a missing mother and her daughter from Hamburg Township has been elevated to an Amber Alert.

Family says Amanda Hayward and her 7-year-old daughter, Sapphire Palmer, have been missing since Monday, May 9. Police believe the two are traveling with a 64-year-old man, Douglas Stanko, who is a registered sex offender.

Authorities say the mother is having an apparent mental episode, and that she is paranoid, delusional and may be armed with a 9 mm Hi Point Semi-Auto handgun. Her father told FOX 2 she was acting erratically before she disappeared.

Police believe Hayward, Palmer and Stanko are traveling in a red 2001 Ford Escape, license plate number 2HVA18. If you see the car or the missing mom or daughter, you're asked to call 911 immediately.

Amanda is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. She is 30 years old and has long strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. Sapphire has long red hair and green eyes, and is 4 feet tall and weighs 55 pounds. She was last seen wearing a purple night gown.

You can read more about the Amber Alert here.

This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 2 for updates.