Melina Frattolin, 9, was the subject of an AMBER Alert as the result of her going missing last night here in upstate New York. Police issued the alert because they felt she was in “imminent danger.” Well, I’m here to report that she is now dead, supposedly.
Anonymous sources supposedly told a reporter with WNYT, the area’s NBC affiliate, that the girl is confirmed to be dead. I guess they can cancel that alert now, huh? As of right now, all the other media outlets are still screaming at the top of their lungs about her being missing, but not dead.
Another conventional media outlet, the local CBS affiliate, is making some pretty bold statements. Right out of the gate, they are reporting that she was not kidnapped. Her body was reportedly found in nearby Ticonderoga.
Based on the CBS affiliate’s report, there are several reasons why she’s dead and, to me anyway, all of those reasons have to do with childhood stupidity.
I just have to wonder…what role did Frattolin play in her death? She apparently got into a van and then disappeared. If it’s true that she was not taken against her will, then that says a lot. Did she know the person driving the van?
If not, then why did she get into a vehicle with a stranger as opposed to running the other way? Why did she get into the van? There are lots of questions and in time, I’m sure that most of them will be answered. For now, though, this story isn’t exactly bringing tears to my eyes.
CBS 6 is reporting thusly:
“While an Amber [sic] alert was issued in the case early Sunday morning, law enforcement identified inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided.”
Already, people on social media suddenly have police badges and law degrees and are saying outright that the father did it, with some stating it as fact when her death was announced within the past hour of this article being published.
Just because there’s some sort of problem, at least according to law enforcement, with his timeline, that does not mean that he had anything to do with her death. Yet, some people seem content on accusing someone with no real evidence.
Right now, any allegations against her father are, for now, mere accusations. There’s no proof yet. If he had anything to do with it, I’m sure he’ll get his day in court. Until then, there’s no need to make baseless accusations.
Right now, there’s just speculation. Allegedly, her father initially claimed that his daughter was abducted and from there, we really don’t know. If law enforcement doubts his account, then it’s on them to find actual evidence, not take the word of anonymous cowards online.
Why would a father do such a thing? My mind goes immediately to child support. If he (and again if) did have a role in her death, maybe he wanted out of paying child support, I don’t know.
I find it hard to believe, however, that a father would do something like that to his child, so I’m going to, for now, call the allegations against him to be baseless.
And what if he did do it?
Well, I’d at least like to hear him out. Maybe there was a good reason, if he did in fact have anything whatsoever to do with her death. I’m at least willing to listen to his side of this weekend saga.
And remember: her death might not be anything other then suicide. It’s not unheard of. Kids at that age tend to be melodramatic. Accordingly, I posit that suicide should not be taken off the table at this point.
If it was not a suicide, and I strongly suspect that it was, she was nine years old. That means she was able to defend herself. Instead of running, however, she seems to have put herself in a dangerous situation. That’s on her.
As for the AMBER Alert, it worked as it was supposed to. However, it shouldn’t have been activated in this case.
Based on what I’m reading thus far, even if her father did have something to do with it, something that I doubt, I do not find her to be a victim. She could have screamed. She could have run. She could have defended herself. If she had done any of those things, she’d likely still be alive.
She clearly made poor choices and she paid dearly for those choices. As the saying goes, if you play stupid games, you will win stupid prizes. Well, she was a winner on a grand scale, wasn’t she?
No, her death is not a tragedy. Whether it was murder, a medical emergency or a suicide, she played a role in her own death. So, no, no tragedy here. It is, however, a teachable moment for other kids.
(This article was updated to reflect a report from Albany’s CBS affiliate and then again to include a report from Daily Mail.)