No suspect has been identified, and details remain limited.
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The Lake George community is reeling after the devastating news that 9-year-old Melina Galanis Frattolin, the subject of a statewide Amber Alert, was found deceased, as confirmed by Warren County law enforcement on July 20, 2025. The missing girl from Lake George was last seen on Saturday night, July 19, at 9:40 p.m., in a white van heading southbound on Interstate 87 near Exit 22, about 72 miles south of Lake George in the Albany area. Authorities had issued an urgent Amber Alert, warning that Melina was in “imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death,” but the search ended in tragedy, per wktv.com.
Melina, described as an Indian girl, 5 feet tall, weighing 100 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, was wearing a black and white striped shirt, light-colored shorts, and white Adidas sneakers at the time of her abduction. The New York State Police and Warren County Sheriff’s Office, who activated the Amber Alert at 1:29 a.m. on Sunday, reported no known suspect, leaving many questions unanswered about the circumstances of her disappearance, per foxnews.com. The alert was broadcast across eastern New York road signs and as far west as Fultonville, urging the public to call 518-743-2501 or 911 with any information.
A Community’s Urgent Response
The Amber Alert mobilised a massive response, with alerts sent to cellphones, broadcast on radio and TV, and displayed on highway signs, reflecting the urgency of the situation. The Warren County Sheriff’s Office, supported by the New York State Police Investigative Support Unit, led the investigation, noting Melina was taken under circumstances suggesting grave danger. While initial reports mistakenly cited 7:40 p.m. as the time of her disappearance, this was corrected to 9:40 p.m., per timesunion.com. No details were released about where Melina was or who she was with at the time of the abduction, adding to the mystery, according to Fox News.
This case marks the second active Amber Alert in the US on July 20, alongside one for two teens missing in Idaho since June, per timesunion.com. The National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children notes that Amber Alerts have helped recover 1,268 children in 2025 alone, with 226 via wireless alerts, underscoring their critical role in urgent cases. Lake George, a small waterside town in the Adirondacks, 60 miles north of Albany, previously saw a similar alert in 2023 for a 9-year-old girl from Moreau Lake State Park, resolved after 15 hours.
