The father of a 9-year-old girl who was found dead in upstate New York on Sunday has been arrested after his kidnapping report didn’t pan out.
Luciano Frattolin, 45, was booked into the Essex County Jail in the town of Lewis at 2:04 a.m. Monday, the Albany Times-Union reported. Charges were not immediately available, but police were scheduled to provide an update late Monday morning.
Frattolin had reported at 9:58 p.m. Saturday that his daughter, Melina Frattolin, had been abducted near Exit 22 of I-87 in Lake George, New York State Police said in a statement Sunday. He told the Warren County Sheriff’s Office she had last been seen at about 9:40 p.m. in a white van headed south. Both are Canadian residents, police said.
The sheriff’s office issued an Amber Alert, deeming her in “imminent danger.” But investigators soon noticed “inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided,” state police said.
Several agencies launched a search that included K9 and aviation units. Melina’s body was found Sunday in Ticonderoga, N.Y., 30 miles east of Lake George near the Vermont border, miles from where the alleged abduction occurred. The Amber Alert was canceled, and the case turned over to state police.
“At this time, there is no indication that an abduction occurred, and there is no threat to the public,” state policed said in their statement.
With News Wire Services
