Luciano Frattolin, a 45-year-old man from Montreal, has been charged with the murder of his 9-year-old daughter, Melina Frattolin, after initially reporting her missing during a trip to upstate New York, according to New York State Police.
Frattolin was arraigned Monday on charges of murder and concealment of a corpse. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. The public defender’s office assigned to his case did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Associated Press.
Authorities say Frattolin called 911 on Saturday night, claiming his daughter had been abducted near a parking lot by Lake George, a popular resort area in the Adirondacks. An Amber Alert was issued shortly after. However, investigators quickly found inconsistencies in his story and determined there was no evidence Melina had been kidnapped.
Initially, Frattolin claimed he lost track of his daughter after stepping out of a wooded area. He later told police two unknown men had forced her into a white van — a lead that was investigated and ruled out.
Surveillance footage placed the father and daughter in Saratoga Springs, about an hour before the 911 call. Around that same time, Melina had a phone conversation with her mother and showed no signs of distress, police said. Investigators now believe Frattolin killed her sometime after that call and before contacting 911.
The girl’s body was discovered Sunday afternoon by forest rangers in a shallow pond about 30 miles north of Lake George, near Ticonderoga. According to the criminal complaint, her body had been hidden beneath a log. An autopsy is pending.
Frattolin and his daughter had been vacationing in the U.S. since July 11 and were expected to return to Montreal over the weekend. Melina lived with her mother in Montreal. Frattolin and the girl’s mother have reportedly been estranged since 2019.
Despite describing himself on Instagram as a “loving father” and referring to Melina as “the light of his life” on his coffee company’s website, Frattolin now faces charges in a case that has shocked both sides of the border. Authorities noted he had no known history of criminal activity or domestic violence.
