STONEHAM - A Stoneham 12-year-old boy is safely back in the custody of his grandparents a day after his birth mother, with only weekend visitation rights, took the boy without permission to New Hampshire and sparked what's believed to be the first AMBER Alert call in Stoneham's history.

Samantha Bedley, 37, of Derry, N.H. is facing custodial kidnapping charges out of Stoneham and fugitive from justice charges in N.H. after she reportedly went to a Stoneham residence yesterday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., shepherded her willing son into her vehicle and then drove her son, Gary Michael Duff-Turcotte, to a relative's newly purchased farm in Mason, N.H.

During her arraignment in a N.H. courtroom earlier this morning, Bedley reportedly claimed that she picked up her 12-year-old son at his request, as he was having difficulties with his grandparents, according to WBZ radio reports.

The 37-year-old will now be transported to a Massachusetts courtroom, where she will answer to custodial kidnapping charges.

The AMBER Alert was sent out a roughly 10 p.m. last night, and Mason Police Chief Barry Hutchins, based on information given to him by Stoneham Police, located Bedley and the 12-year-old within 90 minutes on the New Hampshire farm in his district.

Bedley was reportedly operating a white Dodge Ram truck with the New Hampshire license plate TROUBL.

"I believe this is the first time Amber Alert has been used in Stoneham," said Stoneham Police Chief Rick McCarthy, who said that police received several phone calls concerning the mother and child's whereabouts. "It seemed to work very well in this case."

According to McCarthy, the 12-year-old boy had a medical condition which required him to be closely monitored and medicated and was one of the biggest factors in the activation of the AMBER Alert mechanism.

Duff-Turcotte was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital in Nashua, N.H. last night after he was found at approximately 11:30 p.m., and Stoneham Police believe him to be in good health after last night's ordeal. The youngster has been released to his grandparent guardians, and was said to be in good condition.

The AMBER Alert System began in 1996 when Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters teamed with local police to develop an early warning system to help find abducted children. AMBER stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and then brutally murdered.

Other states, including Massachusetts, soon set up their own AMBER plans as the idea was adopted across the nation.

Once law enforcement has determined that a child has been abducted and the abduction meets AMBER Alert criteria, law enforcement notifies broadcasters and state transportation officials.

AMBER Alerts interrupt regular programming and are broadcast on radio and television and on highway signs. AMBER Alerts can also be issued on lottery tickets, to wireless devices such as mobile phones, and over the Internet.

Through the coordination of local, state and regional plans, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is working towards the creation of a seamless national network.

AMBER Alert has been very effective. AMBER Alert programs have helped save the lives of over 200 children nationwide. AMBER Alerts serve as deterrents to those who would prey upon our children.

AMBER Alert cases have shown that some perpetrators release the abducted child after hearing the AMBER Alert on the radio or seeing it on television.

Anyone seeking more information on AMBER Alert should visit www.amberalert.gov for more details.