An 18-year-old Tioga County teenager who vanished after a family argument was found dead in the Susquehanna River this week, ending a days-long, two-state search that drew emergency responders, K9 units and drones from across New York and Pennsylvania.
New York State Police confirmed that Dalton G. Malmstrom, a 2025 graduate of Owego Free Academy, was located deceased in the river on May 12, 2026, three days after he was last seen leaving his home in the town of Nichols. The discovery was made by the State Police Under Water Recovery Team and members of the agency’s K9 unit, authorities said.
No details about the cause of his death have been released.
A Saturday Morning Disappearance
According to investigators, Malmstrom left his home in the 2100 block of East River Road around 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, following an argument with family. Relatives told troopers that he was “not acting like himself” before he walked out the door, and he was reported missing later that same day.
The teen was described as 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with dark hair, and was last seen wearing a dark-colored shirt. East River Road runs close to the Susquehanna River in Tioga County, an area roughly halfway between Binghamton and Elmira in New York’s Southern Tier, just north of the Pennsylvania state border.
That geography quickly turned the case into a multi-jurisdictional effort. Within hours of Malmstrom’s disappearance, emergency responders and volunteers from both sides of the state line converged on the river corridor, launching what authorities described as a large-scale search.
Three Days of Searching Across Two States
By May 11, the operation had stretched into its third straight day, with crews deploying ground teams, K9 units and aerial drones along the riverbanks and surrounding terrain. Officials said volunteers from both New York and Pennsylvania remained active in the area as the search intensified, according to updates from authorities.
The combined effort underscored how rapidly the case had grown beyond a routine missing-person inquiry. The Susquehanna is one of the longest rivers on the East Coast, and the stretch flowing through Nichols is bordered by dense vegetation, farmland and steep banks — terrain that complicates both ground and water searches.
On the afternoon of May 12, the State Police Under Water Recovery Team located Malmstrom’s body in the river. Investigators have not publicly disclosed where along the river the recovery took place, nor have they offered a timeline of his movements after he left home.
A School Community in Mourning
Word of Malmstrom’s death has rippled through the Owego Apalachin Central School District, where he graduated in 2025. District officials confirmed his connection to Owego Free Academy and said they had activated the district’s crisis intervention plan to provide counseling and support to students, staff and families.
“Our hearts are with the Malmstrom family during this unimaginably difficult time,” district officials said in a statement, adding that “Dalton remains a well-known member of the OACSD community, with relatives and friends currently enrolled at Owego Free Academy.”
Administrators said counselors would be available throughout the week as students processed the loss. The district emphasized that its priority is “ensuring that our students have the emotional support and resources they need to navigate the complex feelings that arise.”
Questions Remain as Investigation Continues
State Police have not characterized the death as suspicious, but they have also not ruled anything out. The agency has declined to elaborate on what, if anything, investigators recovered along Malmstrom’s apparent path from his home to the river, and officials have not addressed whether any surveillance footage or witness accounts helped narrow the search area.
The argument that preceded his departure on May 9 — and his family’s observation that he seemed out of character — has become a central thread in the case, though investigators have not publicly tied those circumstances to any specific theory about how he ended up in the Susquehanna.
For now, the case remains under active investigation. Authorities have asked that anyone with information about Malmstrom’s movements on the morning of May 9, or any details that might help piece together the hours between his departure and his disappearance, come forward. The New York State Police can be reached at 607-561-7400.
In Nichols, a small riverside community of fewer than 2,500 residents, the loss has been felt acutely. Many of those who joined the volunteer effort were neighbors, classmates and family friends — the same network that, just days earlier, had hoped a sweeping search across two states would bring the teen home alive.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.