LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. — A Canadian man has been charged with murder after his 9-year-old daughter was found dead in a shallow pond in upstate New York, just one day after he reported her missing.
Luciano Frattolin, 45, of Montreal, was arrested Monday and charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse following the death of his daughter, Melina Frattolin. Her body was discovered Sunday afternoon in the town of Ticonderoga by New York State Forest Rangers.
On Saturday, July 19, around 10:00 p.m., Frattolin called 911 to report Melina missing from the area of Exit 22 off Interstate 87 in Lake George, claiming a possible abduction. Police initiated a large-scale search, which led to the discovery of Melina’s body at approximately 1:50 p.m. the next day.
A preliminary autopsy conducted Monday by Dr. Michael Sikirica at Glens Falls Hospital determined the cause of death to be asphyxia due to drowning. The manner of death was ruled a homicide. Final results are pending further laboratory testing.
Investigators say Frattolin and his daughter entered the U.S. from Montreal on July 11 for a vacation and were due to return to Canada on July 19. Surveillance footage shows the pair together in Saratoga Springs around 5:30 p.m. that day. Melina spoke with her mother by phone at 6:30 p.m. and did not appear to be in distress.
Authorities believe Frattolin murdered Melina sometime after the phone call and before he reported her missing. Police say there is no evidence supporting Frattolin’s claim of a suspicious white van or abduction.
Frattolin was taken to the Essex County Correctional Facility and is scheduled to be arraigned at Ticonderoga Town Court on Monday.
New York State Police are requesting the public’s help in locating video or eyewitness evidence involving the 2024 gray Toyota Prius the pair traveled in between July 11 and July 19, specifically along I-87 Northway between exits 28 and 20 during the evening of July 19.
