Former Babysitter Arrested in Abduction Case, Incident Not Random

The former babysitter for a Hamilton toddler has been arrested and charged with her kidnapping, the Hamilton police announced on Saturday morning.

Following an intensive around-the-clock investigation by the Hamilton Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, and detectives from the Essex County District Attorney’s Office, police arrested Abigail Hanna, 21, of Topsfield on Saturday morning.

Hanna was charged with kidnapping, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a child and breaking and entering in the nighttime.

She is being held without bail.

Evidence from the case indicates that the abduction was not a random crime and Friday’s incident is not indicative of any continuing or wider threat to the safety of local children and families, Hamilton Police Chief Russell M. Stevens said.

Hanna is the former babysitter of the child she abducted and to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, no further details are being released at this time, Stevens said. More information about the investigation will be released when it is appropriate to do so, he said.

A two-year-old girl was abducted from her Hamilton home early Friday morning and the young girl was reunited with her family on Friday morning, shortly after she was located in a nearby town after authorities launched a widespread search for her. She remains hospitalized for continued evaluation.  Out of respect for her family’s privacy, no information about the condition in which she was found is being released at this time.