Police sent an alert to people's phones saying Melina Galanis Frattolin was last seen southbound in a white van on I-87 near exit 22 at 9:40 p.m. Saturday.

The death of a 9-year-old girl whose father initially said she was missing and possibly abducted is being investigated amid what New York State Police call inconsistencies in the father's account.

Melina Frattolin, 9, was found dead after her father claimed she had been kidnapped. New York State Police say the girl, who was the subject of an Amber Alert, was never abducted.

The charges Luciano Frattolin faces were not immediately available, but records show he was booked early Monday at the Essex County jail

Two North Country communities are holding vigils Tuesday evening in memory of the 9-year-old girl that was found dead in Ticonderoga. The reported abduction of Melina Frattolin prompted an Amber Alert very early Sunday morning.

Authorities say the father initially said his daughter had been kidnapped, triggering an Amber Alert and multi-state investigation.