Daughter of Man Charged in Her Killing Was Drowned, Authorities Say

New York Times

22-07-2025

A 9-year-old Canadian girl whose father has been charged with murdering her in upstate New York was drowned, the authorities said on Tuesday. `
The girl, Melina Galanis Frattolin, of Montreal, died from asphyxia due to drowning, according to Dr. Michael Sikirica, a forensic pathologist who conducted an autopsy on her on Monday and ruled the death a homicide.
The New York State Police said on Tuesday that its investigation was continuing and asked for the public's help retracing the movements of Melina and her father, Luciano Frattolin.
Mr. Frattolin, 45, of Montreal, who the authorities said falsely reported that Melina had been abducted at Lake George, was charged on Monday with second-degree murder and concealment of a corpse. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment, which was also on Monday, and was being held at Essex County Jail. His next court appearance is Friday.
Forest rangers found Melina's body in a shallow portion of a pond in Ticonderoga, about 100 miles north of Albany, the authorities said. Her father hid his child's body under a log, court documents further detailed.
Investigators were still trying to narrow down the time frame of when Melina was killed, saying on Monday that it was between 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturday, when her father reported her missing.
The two of them had been finishing up a vacation in New York and Connecticut — having entered the United States legally on July 11 — when Mr. Frattolin called 9-1-1 to report that someone in a white van had kidnapped his daughter while he went to relieve himself, the authorities said.
Based on his account, law enforcement officers issued an Amber Alert for Melina, who earlier on Saturday evening told her mother by telephone that she was on her way back to Canada.
Melina, who lived full time with her mother in Montreal, appeared to be in good health and did not indicate she was under any duress at the time of the call, according to the police, who described her parents as being estranged.
But when Mr. Frattolin provided investigators with a timeline of events, they detected several inconsistencies, the authorities said on Monday. They did not elaborate on the nature.
At his arraignment in the Town of Ticonderoga Court, Mr. Frattolin was represented by a public defender.
A person who answered the phone on Tuesday at the Essex County Public Defender's Office said it had no comment about the case.
On Tuesday, the New York State Police asked for videos or accounts from anyone who might have seen Melina and her father on Saturday night between Exits 20 and 28 on Interstate 87, the section of highway near Lake George and Ticonderoga. The agency shared photos of a 2024 gray Toyota Prius that the two had been riding in.
The local community in Ticonderoga planned to hold a candlelight vigil for Melina in a park on Tuesday at 8 p.m., according to a local television station.