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Missing Amish girls in New York have been found safe

Posted at 11:49 PM, Aug 14, 2014
and last updated 2014-08-14 23:50:01-04

(CNN) — Two Amish girls who had been missing in Upstate New York’s North Country since Wednesday evening have been found alive, media reports said.

State Police confirmed that the girls have been found alive.

Authorities searched on Thursday for two Amish girls apparently abducted from a roadside farm stand in upstate New York. But they lacked an essential lead: their photographs.

An Amber Alert was issued late Wednesday in Oswegatchie for Delila Miller, 6, and her sister, Fannie, 12. They had been selling vegetables near their family farm, located about 50 miles southeast of the Canadian border.

A witness told police the girls were tending to a customer who drove up in a white 4-door sedan and disappeared when the vehicle pulled away, according to the Amber Alert.

St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin Wells said at a news conference that multiple agencies were investigating leads called in by the public. He urged anyone with information to contact authorities.

Pictures of the girls were not available because members of the Amish community forbid photos of themselves, which they see as a violation of their religious beliefs.

“I wouldn’t say it’s hindering the investigation, it’s just that it would be helpful” to have photos, Wells said. “In the Amish world, photos aren’t going to be available.”

“The Amish community is always cooperative with us and forthcoming,” Wells said.