A 9-year-old Canadian girl whose father had reported she had been kidnapped in upstate New York was found dead Sunday afternoon, with investigators saying she had not been abducted and they were now questioning inconsistencies in her dad\u2019s story, according to authorities.<\/p>\n
The body of the girl, identified by the Warren County Sheriff\u2019s Office as Melina Galanis Frattolin, was discovered in Ticonderoga, New York, near the New York-Vermont border, about 15 miles from Lake George, where her father initially claimed she had been kidnapped on Saturday by a man driving a white van.<\/p>\n
The report from the father led the New York State Police to issue an Amber Alert earlier on Sunday. A massive search was launched, involving State Police K-9 and aviation units, New York State Park Rangers, the Essex and Warren County sheriff\u2019s offices, the New York State Department of Conservation, and the Ticonderoga Police Department.<\/p>\n
An Amber Alert was issued, July 20, 2025, for a 9-year-old girl believed to have been kidnapped near Lake George, New York, according to police. (Getty)
\nGetty Images
\n\u201cAs the case progressed, law enforcement identified inconsistencies in the father\u2019s account of events and the timeline he provided,\u201d according to a statement from the State Police.<\/p>\n
The investigation was ongoing Sunday afternoon as State Police took over the investigation from the Warren County Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
There was no immediate comment from the State Police on whether Melina\u2019s father, who police identified as 45-year-old Luciano Frattolin, also of Canada, had been arrested in his daughter\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
State police did not disclose how Melina died.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this time, there is no indication that an abduction occurred, and there is no threat to the public,\u201d the State Police said in its statement.<\/p>\n
Luciano Frattolin called 911 in Warren County late Saturday night, claiming his daughter had been abducted by a stranger, according to police. The father claimed the girl was kidnapped around 9:40 p.m. at a rest stop off Interstate 87 near Lake George, where he allegedly claimed they pulled over to use the restroom, according to police radio dispatches provided by Broadcastify.<\/p>\n
The father told police his daughter was wearing light colored shorts, a blue-and-white striped shirt and white Adidas sneakers, police said.<\/p>\n
Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains
\nDenistangneyjr\/Getty Images
\n\u201cThe child was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious bodily harm and\/or death,\u201d authorities said in an initial statement that accompanied the Amber Alert<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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