KNOX — The 19-year-old woman who claimed two masked men snatched 5-year-old Kenneth White was charged with murder Friday for killing the boy and leaving him buried in snow in a culvert across the street from the trailer where they lived, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said.

Tiffany VanAlstyne strangled the boy — her cousin — on Thursday before calling her mother, claiming that two men pinned her to a sofa and made off with him, a claim Apple said was a hoax. Her mother, Brenda VanAlstyne, called 911 and relayed her daughter's story, Apple said.

Tiffany VanAlstyne was charged with second-degree murder, arraigned in Knox Town Court and pleaded not guilty. She was sent to the Albany County jail without bail.

Apple appeared to choke up as he spoke at a news conference and described how the teen's story came apart as investigators pursued leads and interviewed witnesses.

The boy was "thrown away like a piece of trash," Apple said.

"It is sinful and it is sad," he said.

In court, Brenda VanAlystne cried as her daughter was arraigned. She said the teen has bipolar disorder, a condition Tiffany VanAlstyne disclosed when the town justice asked if she took medication.

Brenda VanAlstyne said she had no idea what happened to her nephew. "She just told me that two guys took him," she said outside court.

More Information See More Collapse

"(Tiffany) was always taking care of him, buying gifts for him and she loved him so much," she said.

"And we loved him too," she added before breaking down and walking away.

Kenneth had been living with Brenda VanAlstyne, who the sheriff said was his legal guardian. The boy's mother lives in Amsterdam and his father lived in western Massachusetts.

Authorities described the trailer where the boy lived with his twin sister and a younger sister at 994 Thacher Park Road as an "unsafe environment" that will be examined by code enforcement officials once State Police investigators finish their search for evidence.

There were "several deficiencies in that trailer that put people's lives in jeopardy," Apple said.

Authorities issued an Amber Alert for the boy early Thursday afternoon after they were told two men abducted Kenneth from the trailer and drove off in a pickup truck. Authorities, several hours later, discredited the story as a hoax.

"You know we caught some contradictions in a few different statements that were taken so a few flags had popped. It's a horrific case. I mean, we lost a 5-year-old child — a senseless death — who left behind a twin sister and a 4-year-old sister," Apple said at the news conference.

Kenneth was a kindergartner at Berne-Knox-Westerlo Elementary School.

Interim Superintendent Joseph L. Natale extended condolences to the boy's family. He said counselors would be at the school to talk to children, teachers and staff upset by the death.

"At this time, very little is known about the circumstances of the student's death," he wrote in a statement posted on the district's website

"We encourage parents to emphasize to their children that there may be rumors or false information in a situation like this one, and if they want to talk about something they hear, they should talk to an adult."

Contributing: Skip Dickstein and Brittany Horn