Police said they do not suspect foul play was involved in Leah Bellitto’s death. Police in Amherst, New York, have located the body of Leah Bellitto, a woman who went missing on Saturday night amid frigid temperatures, in a local creek. The grim discovery comes after law enforcement and volunteers carried out a grid search to try to locate any sign of the 29-year-old Bellitto. On Tuesday, one of the individuals who was looking for Bellitto found her body in the creek near Dodge Road.
Police said that Bellitto's death is under investigation, but that they do not currently suspect foul play was involved. The high in Amherst on Saturday was 31 degrees Fahrenheit — just below freezing — and the low was 19, according to the National Weather Service. The search for Bellitto was organized by the Western New York Missing & Unidentified Persons Network, and drew dozens of volunteers.
"At the time of her discovery, members of the Amherst Police Emergency Response Team, along with volunteer search groups, were in the vicinity conducting search efforts," Amherst police said in a statement. "The cause and manner of death are currently under investigation. At this time, there are no signs of foul play and there is no apparent danger to the public.". A man who lives on the road told WKBW that he found a small backpack with a flower print on a trail deep inside his property. He initially didn't think much of the discovery but later learned from a neighbor that a woman had been reported missing in the area carrying a backpack with a description similar to the one he found.
The property owner, Tom Chiaramonte, reported his findings to the police on Sunday, prompting the search on Dodge Road. He and his sons joined the search for Bellitto. “They found her at the creek right up here on Dodge Road,” he said. “Unfortunate for the family. Very, very sad for the family.”. Nardin Academy, a private Catholic school where Bellitto attended and graduated from in 2015, issued a statement following the discovery of her body.
"We are saddened to learn of the sudden passing of our alumna Leah Bellitto, a member of the Class of 2015," the school said in a statement. "The entire Nardin community prays for and offers its heartfelt condolences to the Bellitto Family, Leah’s friends, and her loved ones. Our thoughts are with them all.". Bellitto's family has asked for privacy, and Amherst police said they would not be providing further information at this time.
