Amber Alert Issued for Abducted 9-Year-Old Girl in Lake George, NY
No updates on Melina’s whereabouts have been reported, and the investigation remains active, with police likely reviewing surveillance footage from Lake George Village and nearby exits.
A statewide Amber Alert was activated early today (Sunday) Melina Galanis Frattolin, a 9-year-old girl abducted from Lake George, New York, in a white van under circumstances that police say indicate “imminent danger of serious bodily harm and/or death.” The abduction, reported at 9:40 p.m. on Saturday, July 19, near Exit 22 of Interstate 87, has mobilized law enforcement and sparked urgent public appeals for information in this popular Adirondack tourist destination.
The New York State Police, in coordination with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, issued the alert at 1:29 a.m. on Sunday, correcting an initial report that misstated the abduction time as 7:40 p.m. Melina, an Indian female, was last seen traveling southbound on I-87 (the Northway) near Lake George Village, approximately 72 miles north of Albany. Authorities have provided only a vague description of the vehicle, a white van, with no license plate or further details, and no suspect has been identified, intensifying the challenge of the search.
Melina is described as 5 feet tall, weighing about 100 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a blue and white striped shirt, shorts, and white Adidas sneakers. Police are urging anyone with information to contact 911 or the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at 518-743-2501, emphasizing the critical nature of the case.
Melina is the daughter of Luciano Frattolin, a Montreal-based entrepreneur of Ethiopian and Italian descent who founded Gambella Coffee, a socially conscious coffee company. Frattolin’s website describes Melina as “the light of his life." The family’s presence in Lake George, a summer hotspot drawing visitors from the U.S. and Canada, suggests they may have been vacationing or traveling between Montreal and the U.S. The exact circumstances of the abduction, whether Melina was taken from a public place or a vehicle, remain unclear, as police have released limited details to protect the investigation.
The Amber Alert has galvanized the region, with alerts broadcast across radio, television, cellphones, and highway signs along I-87. Social media has amplified the effort, with accounts sharing Melina’s photo, believed to be her passport image, to aid identification. Community members on platforms like Reddit’s r/Albany have speculated about a possible link to an earlier incident in Greenville, N.Y., involving a white van, though authorities have not confirmed any connection. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is also supporting the search, urging the public to remain vigilant, particularly along I-87 routes toward Albany and Selkirk.
Authorities are calling for heightened awareness in the Lake George area and along I-87, asking the public to report any sightings of a white van or a girl matching Melina’s description without approaching the vehicle. The search continues as a community holds its breath for the safe return of a young girl caught in a chilling mystery.