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Update: Missing North Country Amish girls found safe, returned home

St. Lawrence County Sheriff
A sketch released by police of 12-year-old Fannie Miller, who was abducted Wednesday with her 6 year old sister Delila. Both girls were found safe Thursday night.

Update: 

12-year-old Fannie Miller and her 6-year-old sister Delila were found safe and returned home Thursday night. According to WWNY, the girls were dropped off by two men in Richville, about 15 miles from where they were abducted Wednesday evening. When they were dropped off, they were told to stay where they were. Instead, the girls ran to a nearby home and asked for help. The girls were then returned home. 

St. Lawrence County District Attorney Mary Rain said the girls were cold and wet, but otherwise appeared unharmed. Rain says the girls were interviewed by investigators and police are still searching for the suspects. 

Previous Coverage:

A massive, multi-agency search continues for two Amish girls who are believed to have been abducted from their farm stand in St. Lawrence County.

Police have issued an AMBER alert, but still have no major leads. A helicopter was circling over the countryside around Heuvelton this afternoon.

Divers were searching the Oswegatchie River, looking for signs of 12-year-old Fannie Miller and her 6-year-old sister, Delila. Both girls were wearing dark blue dresses with blue aprons and black bonnets.

Authorities say they've received "numerous leads" in the investigation so far. Sheriffs deputies, state troopers, forest rangers and U.S. Border Patrol agents are part of the ongoing search.

Police are searching for a small white four-door sedan. Earlier today, St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin Wells enlisted the public’s help to find the girls.

"These girls don’t have to be dressed in Amish clothes anymore," he said. "Their hair could be cut from its waist-length length. Just pay attention, especially if it's a six-year-old or a 12-year-old with heavy accent, sounding like what would be odd to you in that Pennsylvania Dutch dialect."

Fanny and Delila Miller disappeared yesterday evening around 7:20, according to police, when they waited on a customer at their family’s roadside stand.

Witnesses say they saw a passenger throw something in the back seat of the car then get in.

Sheriff Wells said police have spoken with "a lot" of registered sex offenders in the area.

The search is made more complicated by the fact that because they are Amish, there are no photos of the girls, Wells said.

"I wouldn’t say it’s hindering the investigation. I'd just say, it would be helpful," he said. "That would be a norm in an English world. But in the Amish world, photos aren’t going to be available."

Police have released a sketch of the older sister, Fanny. A sketch of Delila will not be made available, at the request of the family. They're asking anyone with any information, no matter how small, to call 866-NYS-AMBER or dial 911.

Our original post:

The St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Department has issued an Amber Alert for two Amish girls who went missing Wednesday evening in the town of Oswegatchie. 

Police say the abduction allegedly occurred on Mount Alone Road in Heuvelton at 7:20 p.m. Wednesday. The two girls, 12-year-old Fannie Miller and 7-year-old Delila Miller went to the family's roadside stand to assist a customer in a small, white four-door sedan.

A witness told police that they saw a passenger of the car put something in the back of the car, then get in the back seat. When the car drove away, the girls were gone. 

Miller is a white female with brown hair and blue eyes. She is 5 feet tall and weighs about 90 pounds. She is cross-eyed. 

Delila Miller has brown hair and brown eyes. She is approximately 4 feet tall and weighs about 50 pounds. She has a round scar on her forehead and is missing her front teeth. 

Both girls were last seen wearing dark blue dresses with blue aprons and black bonnets. 

Anyone with any information can call the St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Department at 1-866-NYS-AMBER or dial 911.

Jason has served as WRVO's news director in some capacity since August 2017. As news director, Jason produces hourly newscasts, and helps direct local news coverage and special programming. Before that, Jason hosted Morning Edition on WRVO from 2009-2019. Jason came to WRVO in January of 2008 as a producer/reporter. Before that, he spent two years as an anchor/reporter at WSYR Radio in Syracuse.