A man whose 9-year-old daughter was found dead in a wooded pond after he reported that she had been abducted while they were they were vacationing in upstate New York was charged Monday with murder.

Luciano Frattolin, 45, of Montreal is charged with murdering and concealing the corpse of his daughter, Melina Frattolin, according to New York State Police.

A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf at his arraignment Monday, according to court officials. The public defender’s office assigned to defend Frattolin did not immediately respond to phone and email requests for comment from The Associated Press.

This undated booking photo provided by the New York State Police shows Luciano Frattolin, who is charged with murder and concealing of a corpse in the death of his daughter, Melina Frattolin. (New York State Police via AP)

Luciano Frattolin called 911 Saturday night and later told authorities his daughter had been abducted from a parking lot near Lake George, a resort town in the Adirondack region, authorities said. That led officials to issue an Amber Alert overnight to enlist the public’s help in finding her.

But authorities said there were inconsistencies in the father’s account, and that they concluded there was no evidence she had been taken.

Frattolin initially said he could not find his child after he stepped out of a wooded area at a parking lot near Lake George.

“During a subsequent interview, he then reports two unknown males forced her into a white van,” New York State Police Capt. Robert McConnell said. “That lead was thoroughly investigated and disproven.”

Surveillance video shows the father and daughter in another nearby resort town, Saratoga Springs, at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The girl spoke on the phone with her mother about an hour later and did not indicate she was under duress, police said.

Police believe Frattolin killed the girl after the phone call and before he made the 911 call.

Forest rangers found the girl’s body on Sunday afternoon in the shallows of a pond about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Lake George, in Ticonderoga, authorities said. The criminal complaint said Frattolin concealed her body under a log.

An autopsy has been scheduled

—-AP