Grandmother Wanted For Kidnapping Is Arrested In Stoneham

A woman who allegedly kidnapped her young granddaughter in Indiana and took her to Maine was arrested on Thursday in Stoneham.

According to Massachusetts State Police, Melanie Ester Wever was taken into custody around 7:30 p.m., after Stoneham officers spotted a 2012 Dodge van, wanted in connection with the kidnapping, parked at the Mobil Station at the intersection of Route 28 and South Street.

18-month-old Hazel B. Richards was found unharmed inside the van, according to State Police.

The incident began when Wever took the toddler from Indiana to Maine without the permission of the little girl's parents, according to a report appearing on myfoxboston.com.

The child's mother had flown to Maine and contacted the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office about help in retrieving her daughter. But Wever allegedly then fled Maine with the little girl and drove to Massachusetts, according to the myfoxboston.com report.

While the report indicates Wever is the biological maternal grandmother of Hazel Richards. However, it is not clear if she is related to the girl's mother.

State Police say the investigation is ongoing.