Missing Amherst woman found dead near Dodge Road

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A missing Amherst woman has been found dead.

The body of Leah Bellitto, 29, was located in water near Dodge Road in Amherst on Tuesday morning after she had last been seen around 9:15 p.m. Saturday in the Ransom Oaks neighborhood of Amherst.

Police said that Bellitto was found by a person walking along the area around 9:55 a.m. Tuesday. There were no signs of foul play, but the cause and manner of her death is under investigation.

Bellitto graduated from Nardin Academy in Buffalo in 2015. The president of the academy, Rebecca Reeder, said in a statement that the entire Nardin community is praying for Bellito’s family, friends, and loved ones.

“All of us at Nardin Academy are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of our alumna Leah Bellitto,” she said. “A former teacher wrote, ‘Leah’s presence in my class was always a pleasant one; she is just truly a sweet girl—a remarkable, self-motivated, and driven young woman.'”

Investigators resumed their search around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Volunteers stopped searching just before noon. A neighbor had told WIVB News 4 on Tuesday that he had found her backpack.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Amherst police at (716) 689-1311.

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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.

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