Private investigator arrested for January child abduction: officials
ABC 12 News Channel
Sydney Basden
3/15/2021
A licensed private investigator in North Carolina was recently arrested on charges of abducting an infant earlier this year, the Onslow County Sheriff's Office said Monday.
Officials said they received a report on January 11 that an infant had been taken from the child's grandmother in Holly Ridge. During the investigation, the sheriff's office said deputies learned a couple had hired an attorney to assist in gaining custody of the infant, and the infant had been taken by Melanie Keene, a licensed private investigator hired by the attorney.
According to officials, Keene, 60, took the infant to the couple, reportedly doing so under the pretext that an Ex-Parte Hearing for Temporary Emergency Custody was scheduled for January 12. They added that Keene also told the couple to turn off their phones and not speak with law enforcement to prevent the child from being returned to its mother.
On Wednesday, March 10, warrants were obtained for Keene, and she was arrested March 11 in Brunswick County. The Onslow County Sheriff's Office said she has been charged with the following:
Felony Abduction of Children,
Felonious Restraint,
Felony Obstructing Justice,
Misdemeanor Resisting Public Officer.
Officials added that she was booked in the Brunswick County Detention Center with a $1,000 secured bond awaiting her first appearance.
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