Missing girl Melina Frattolin found dead in NY; father charged
Melina Frattolin was found dead in Upstate New York on July 20 after Luciano Frattolin reported her abducted the previous night, NYSP said in a release.
Officials allege that Luciano Frattolin murdered his daughter after the pair, who live in Montreal, traveled to the United States for a vacation this month.
He has been charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse and is being held at the Essex County Corrections facility pending an arraignment scheduled for Monday morning, police said.
"This is certainly a difficult case, a heartbreaking investigation," Robert McConnell, NYSP captain, said at the press conference. "On behalf of the New York State Police and our law enforcement partners, I want to offer our condolences to the family of Melina."
Here's everything we know so far.
Melina Frattolin allegedly murdered by father, dumped in wooded area: officials
Luciano and Melina Frattolin entered the United States on July 11 for a vacation, officials said.
They planned to return on July 20 to Canada, where Melina lived full-time with her mother, according to police. Melina's parents have been estranged since 2019, police said.
At around 5:30 p.m. local time on July 19, officials said Luciano and Melina Frattolin were seen on video surveillance in Saratoga Springs, New York.
At about 6:30 p.m., the girl spoke to her mother on the phone and told her she and her father were on route back to Canada, police said.
Sometime after Melina spoke to her mother on the phone and before Luciano Frattolin reported her missing, he allegedly killed her, according to authorities.
Her body was found in the shallow portion of a pond in a wooded area, police said. Her cause of death is pending autopsy results.
Luciano Frattolin reported daughter missing after allegedly killing her
Luciano Frattolin reported his daughter missing around 10 p.m. local time on July 19.
He told authorities he and his daughter were driving on I-87 in Lake George when he pulled over to urinate in a wooded area. When he returned to the vehicle, his daughter was missing, he told authorities.
The Warren County Sheriff's Office activated an Amber Alert for the missing girl on the morning of July 20, noting that she was last seen in a white van on I-87 southbound.
Police confirmed on July 20 around 5 p.m. ET that Melina Frattolin was found dead in Ticonderoga, New York, which is about 100 miles north of Albany by the Vermont border.
Officials noted at the time that they found "inconsistencies" in Luciano Frattolin's timeline of events and added that "there is no indication that an abduction occurred."
The Warren County Sheriff's Office turned over the investigation to the state police.
Contributing: James Powel and Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
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