Vestal Woman Charged After Missing Girls Are Found
A 29-year-old woman was arrested after two Binghamton girls who had been missing for 317 days were found in her Vestal home.
Authorities say Amanda Hellman of Torrance Avenue has been charged with second-degree kidnapping.
Hellman was arrested Thursday (March 10) by state police. She was arraigned in Vestal town court and sent to Broome County Jail without bail.
Last May, police announced they were looking for 13-year-old Shaeleen Fitch-Fortner and 15-year-old Ky-Lea Fortner. The sisters had been missing since April 27 when they were seen waiting to get on a bus at the end of the day at their school in the Susquehanna Valley School District.
Investigators last month issued an update indicating they were still looking for the girls.
Police say after they were located, they were turned over to Broome County Family Services.
Authorities describe Hellman as a "family acquaintance" of the girls, who had been living in a foster home in the Town of Binghamton before they vanished.
For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.