9-year-old Canadian girl found dead in upstate New York after dad claimed she was abducted
On Sunday, an Amber Alert was issued for Melina Frattolin after she went missing. She was found dead hours later in Ticonderoga, New York, according to New York State Police.
Luciano Frattolin, 45, the girl's father, reported his daughter missing to Warren County officials just before 10pm the previous evening, according to state police. He reportedly insinuated to police that the girl may have been abducted in the Lake George area.
Warren County Sheriff's deputies followed up with Frattolin, and "identified inconsistencies in the father's account of events and the timeline he provided," according to the state's report.
In the Amber Alert, Melina was said to have been "in imminent danger of serious bodily harm and/or death."
Melina Frattolin, aged 9, was found dead in Ticonderoga, New York on July 20 hours after her father reported her missing and suggested she had been abducted. Police later determined no abduction had taken place, and noted "inconsistencies" in her father's account of her disappearance (New York State Police)
A search began that involved multiple local and state agencies, and hours later the girl's body was discovered 35 miles away from the spot where her father said he'd last seen her.
Authorities, at the time working the case as a child abduction, determined that the kidnapping story they'd been told by her father was incorrect.
"Due to jurisdictional considerations, the Warren County Sheriff's Office has turned the investigation over to the New York State Police," the agency said in a statement. "At this time, there is no indication that an abduction occurred, and there is no threat to the public."
Frattolin and his daughter are both Canadian residents.
Police have not arrested a suspect as of this report. No cause of death has been determined, and there are no further details at the time of this report regarding his discovery.
Law enforcement told reporters that an update on their investigation would be made available sometime on Monday.
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