LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. — A Montreal man has been charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse after his 9-year-old daughter was found dead in a remote pond in Ticonderoga, New York, state police announced Saturday.
A police press conference today revealed more details on the heinous incident.
Luciano Frattolin, 45, was arrested on June 21 following the discovery of his daughter, Melina Frattolin, who had been reported missing the night of July 19 near Exit 22 of Interstate 87 in Lake George. Frattolin had called 911 claiming a possible abduction.
Authorities from multiple law enforcement agencies responded immediately and launched a search. On July 20 at approximately 1:50 p.m., New York State Forest Rangers located Melina’s body in shallow water during a coordinated search operation in Ticonderoga.
Investigators say Frattolin and his daughter entered the U.S. legally on July 11 for a vacation and were scheduled to return to Canada on July 19. Melina, who lived full time with her mother in Montreal, was due to be returned to her custody that day.
Surveillance video placed the pair in Saratoga Springs around 5:30 p.m. on July 19. Melina later spoke with her mother around 6:30 p.m., with no indication of distress. Authorities allege that Frattolin murdered his daughter sometime afterward and left her body in a secluded area. No evidence has been found supporting his claims of an abduction involving a suspicious white van.
Frattolin was arrested and transported to the Essex County Correctional Facility pending arraignment, which is scheduled for July 21 in Ticonderoga Town Court. An autopsy to determine Melina’s cause of death is also scheduled for the same day.
State Police have urged anyone with information about the case to contact them at (518) 457-6811 or email crimetip@troopers.ny.gov.
Authorities say the father falsely reported an abduction before being charged in the death of his daughter, whose body was found during a multi-agency search.
