(MyFoxBoston.com) – An 18-month-old girl who was reported missing from Yarmouth on Wednesday was found safe Thursday in Massachusetts, according to police, and the state of Maine has withdrawn a complaint against her grandmother.
State police said 49-year-old Melanie E. Wever, of Indiana, and the child, Hazel Richards, were found by troopers and local police at a gas station in Stoneham, just before 7:30 p.m. Police said Wever and Hazel were taken to a nearby state police barracks.
The Cumberland County, Maine, sheriff's office said Hazel's mother flew from Indiana to Maine, where Wever and the child were visiting, to get her. The sheriff's office says Wever was contacted by phone and told to return the child but did not. The mother had reported Hazel missing from North Yarmouth on Wednesday. At the time, authorities said they planned to pursue kidnapping charges against Wever.
Detectives spoke to Hazel's father, James Richards, who told investigators that he had just arrived in Boston after flying in from Indiana. James said he was currently with his daughter and his mother, Melanie Wever. He agreed to meet with Massachusetts State Police to discuss this case.
Friday morning, investigators said both Wever and her son cooperated when they were questioned. The grandmother was not charged and Hazel was released to the custody of her father.
While leaving court Friday morning, Wever said she did not do anything wrong.
Cox Media Group
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