COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The search for 52-year-old Dr. Melanie Nadler Litt, a well-known metro Atlanta dentist, has taken a troubling turn after authorities announced she had been located — but her husband, Lesley Litt, insists she remains unsafe and in the midst of a serious mental health crisis.

The Cobb County Police Department confirmed in a Facebook post that Dr. Litt had been found and that the BOLO (Be On the Lookout) alert had been canceled, stating, “We would like to reassure everyone that Melanie was not in any danger, and there is no indication of foul play.”

However, her husband strongly disputes that claim. In an emotional statement, Lesley Litt said Melanie is not safe and is being manipulated and controlled by the man she was found with.

He alleges she was seen being “dragged around a market” by this individual and appeared terrified. According to witnesses, when a bystander — who recognized Melanie as his dentist — confronted the man, he began yelling aggressively before the pair fled.

Litt added that his wife is “in a mental health crisis and needs immediate professional intervention,” accusing police of failing to properly assess the situation and releasing her back into the care of the man she was with. “They did her no justice,” he said, urging anyone who sees her to call 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) and provide authorities with her location.

A Facebook user, Billy Robertson, also shared video footage reportedly showing the encounter. In his post, Robertson claimed:

“I literally found the missing woman and chased the man. I confronted them, and she looked terrified. When I asked if she was okay, the man grabbed her and took off. I gave chase. He tried to say her husband was after them.”

The incident comes after Dr. Litt was reported missing on October 14, when she failed to arrive for work at Family Dentistry at Seven Hills in Dallas, Georgia.

A coworker last spoke with her the evening before, after she had finished dinner with a friend. Police conducted a welfare check at her Marietta home and found her cell phone left behind, though her vehicle was missing.

That vehicle was later discovered abandoned behind a business off Barrett Parkway.

Dr. Litt and her husband were reportedly scheduled to depart for Japan on Wednesday morning, but Lesley Litt said he was out of town visiting their son when she disappeared.

In a related development, journalist Cody Alcorn spoke with the wife of the man who was reportedly with Dr. Litt when she was found.

The man has been identified as Anthony Nester, of Kennesaw — who himself had been reported missing on October 11 after telling his wife he was “going to hang with the guys” and failing to return home.

Nester’s wife said that after days of silence, she searched his computer and discovered a hidden Yahoo email account, where she uncovered messages revealing that her husband and Dr. Litt had been involved in a romantic affair for more than a decade. Both Nester and Dr. Litt are believed to have met through her dental practice, where he had been a patient.

Since the video of Dr. Litt and Nester surfaced online, Nester’s wife says she has been harassed and threatened and is pleading for the harassment to stop.

She also stated that Cobb County Police informed her that her husband left voluntarily, and because both he and Dr. Litt are adults, they are no longer considered missing persons.

According to investigators, the last location pinged from Nester’s phone before it was powered off placed him at Dr. Litt’s residence.

At this time, neither Dr. Melanie Nadler Litt nor Anthony Nester are considered missing or endangered, though questions remain regarding Dr. Litt’s well-being and the nature of her relationship with the man she was found with.

Authorities have not announced any further action but continue to monitor developments surrounding the case.