Community news briefs

Friday, May 21, 1999 | 12:11 p.m.

State party misses deadline

The Nevada State Republican Central Committee missed deadlines on 15 monthly and annual reports from February 1995 to April 1996, in several cases filing the reports as much as six months late, FEC officials said Thursday.

The tardy filings involved a total of more than $600,000 in campaign contributions and more than $600,000 in spending.

LV woman arrested in London

A former Las Vegas woman has been arrested in London for abducting her young son 11 years ago.

Melody Carsello, also known as Francine Masshar and Francine Siegel, was arrested Wednesday on a fugitive warrant charging her with violating child custody rights and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said Thursday that Carsello abducted her son, Brandon, from his day care center in 1988 when he was 5 years old. The child's father, Richard Carsello, was awarded custody of Brandon in 1987 during divorce proceedings.

Authorities believe Melody Carsello and Brandon lived in the eastern United States, Canada, France and England during the past 11 years.

Richard Carsello said he has spent more than $100,000 searching for his son, hired eight private investigators, flown all over the world and has gone bankrupt.

Efforts are being made to reunite Richard Carsello with his son in England.