A 9-year-old girl from Canada, Melina Galanis Frattolin, was found dead on Sunday afternoon in upstate New York. This happened just hours after her father reported that she had been kidnapped. But police later said there was no real abduction.

Melina’s body was discovered in Ticonderoga, New York. That’s about 30 miles from Lake George, where her father had first said she was last seen.

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Earlier on Sunday, police had issued an Amber Alert. They believed she was in “imminent danger” of being harmed or even killed.

FATHER’S ACCOUNT HAD INCONSISTENCIES

Melina’s father, 45-year-old Luciano Frattolin, called the Warren County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday night at 9:58 PM (local time). He said his daughter had disappeared and might have been kidnapped.

Both Melina and her father are Canadian citizens, the New York State Police (NYSP) confirmed.

At first, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation. But police noticed that there were “inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided,” according to the NYSP. Because of legal boundaries, the investigation was then handed over to New York State Police.

After reviewing the details, the NYSP said they found “no indication of an abduction.”

However, on Sunday morning, the State Police issued an Amber Alert for Melina about four hours after she was first reported missing. The alert included her description. It was later cancelled at 4:18 PM.

“The child was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious bodily harm and/or death,” the alert had said.

NO SUSPECT YET

The NYSP said that no suspect has been arrested so far. However, they also stated there is currently no danger to the general public.

In their official update, the police said, “There is no present threat to the public.”

The NYSP will hold a press conference on Monday to talk more about Melina’s death and the events that led up to it.

– Ends

With inputs from Reuters

An Amber Alert was originally issued for Melina Frattolin, who was reported missing by her father.

A 9-year-old girl who was reported abducted on Saturday evening in Upstate New York has been found dead in Ticonderoga, according to authorities.

Melina Frattolin was initially reported missing by her father, according to New York State Police.

Both the father and daughter are residents of Canada.

“As the case progressed, law enforcement identified inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided,” New York State police wrote in a press release

NTD reached out to New York State Police for additional details but did not receive an immediate response.

An Amber Alert that was issued Saturday evening on behalf of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office has since been canceled.

“At this time, there is no indication that an abduction occurred, and there is no threat to the public,” New York State Police said on Sunday.

The child was reported to have disappeared from the Lake George area in Upstate New York, about 200 miles north of New York City.

She was last seen on Interstate 87 near exit 22 at 9:40 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Amber Alert.

“The child was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious bodily harm and/or death,” the alert stated.

An Amber Alert message is typically issued to the public seeking its help in finding abducted children. As of Dec. 21, 2024, the program has “contributed to the recovery of 1,268 children,” according to its website. Its wireless emergency alerts resulted in the rescue of at least 226 children.

The Essex County Sheriff’s Office, Ticonderoga Police Department, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Forest Rangers, and New York State Police K9 and Aviation units, were involved in this case.

The Warren County Sheriff’s Office has turned the investigation over to the New York State Police.

The investigation continues and a press conference is expected on Monday, July 21.

Tragic end to the search for missing little girl in upstate New York

Tragic end to the search for missing little girl in upstate New York

Tragic end to the search for missing little girl in upstate New York

An investigation is underway following the death of a 9-year-old girl, who had gone missing near Lake George, New York.

Hours after an Amber Alert was issued in her disappearance, state police say her body was found Sunday in the town of Ticonderoga, roughly 40 miles northeast of the lake.

The 9-year-old was reported missing in the area of Exit 22 in Lake George by her father just before 10 p.m. on Saturday, state police said, adding both the girl and her father are from Canada.

“The Warren County Sheriff’s Office initially led the investigation. As the case progressed, law enforcement identified inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided,” state police said in a statement, later adding, “At this time, there is no indication that an abduction occurred, and there is no threat to the public.”

Amber Alert issued in disappearance of 9-year-old girl

State police said the 9-year-old was last seen at around 9:40 p.m. Saturday in a white van traveling south on I-87 near Exit 22.

She was described as 5 feet tall, 100 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue and white striped shirt, shorts and white Adidas sneakers.

Police at the time said they believed she may have been be in danger of serious bodily harm or death and asked anyone with information about the case to call the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at 518-743-2501, or call 911 if she was seen.

No further details have been released about her disappearance.

Lake George is located along I-87 in the Adirondack Region.

The body of a 9-year-old girl from Canada who was the subject of an Amber Alert has been found in Ticonderoga, New York, and authorities say there is no indication that an abduction occurred.

According to New York State Police, the girl, identified as Melina Galanis Frattolin, was reported missing by her father, Luciano Frattolin, at approximately 9:58 p.m. on Saturday. He called Warren County 911 to report a possible abduction near Exit 22 of I-87 in Lake George.

The Warren County Sheriff’s Office initially led the investigation. “As the case progressed, law enforcement identified inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided,” New York State Police said.

Melina was found deceased in Ticonderoga, near the Vermont state line, following a search involving multiple local and state agencies, including New York State Police K9 and Aviation units.

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Authorities said there is currently no indication that an abduction occurred or that there is any threat to the public. Due to jurisdictional considerations, the case has been turned over to New York State Police.

An Amber Alert issued late Saturday night described Melina as an Indian female with brown hair and brown eyes, last seen wearing shorts, a white and blue striped shirt, and white Adidas sneakers.

The investigation is ongoing, and a press briefing is scheduled for Monday. It remains unclear if the father has been detained.

A 9-year-old Canadian tourist was found dead in upstate New York Sunday afternoon — hours after an apparently bogus kidnapping report from her father, cops said.

Melina Galanis Frattolin’s body was recovered in Ticonderoga, New York – roughly 30 miles away from Lake George, where her father originally reported she was last seen.

Melina Galanis Frattolin was found dead in Ticonderoga, New York. New York State Police

Authorities had issued an amber alert citing her “imminent danger” of being harmed or killed earlier Sunday.

However, there was apparently no real abduction during the entire ordeal, authorities said.

Melina’s father, Luciano Frattolin, 45, called the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at 9:58 p.m. Saturday evening reporting his daughter’s disappearance, noting a possible abduction, according to police.

Both Frattolins are residents of Canada, according to the New York State Police.

While the WCSO was leading the investigation, authorities found “inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided,” according to the NYSP.

The investigation was soon turned over to the NYSP “due to jurisdictional considerations.”

Police activated an amber alert for Melina around four hours after she was reported missing. New York State Police

The NYSP determined that there was no indication of an abduction.

On Sunday morning, State Police activated an amber alert for Melina around four hours after she was reported missing along with a description. It was later cancelled at 4:18 p.m.

“The child was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious bodily harm and/or death,” the alert read.

The circumstances of her abduction were not immediately released and the suspect was listed as “unknown” in the statement from NYSP.

No suspect or arrest has been announced, but the NYSP said that there is no present “threat to the public.”

The NYSP will be holding a media event related to Melina’s death and disappearance on Monday.