logo
Father arrested in New York in death of 9-year-old daughter he had reported missing

Father arrested in New York in death of 9-year-old daughter he had reported missing

Independent5 days ago
A Canadian man whose 9-year-old daughter was found dead after he reported that she had been abducted while they were vacationing in upstate New York was charged Monday with murder.
Luciano Frattolin is charged with murder and concealing of a corpse in the death of his daughter, Melina Frattolin, New York State Police Capt. Robert McConnell said.
A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf at the 45-year-old Montreal man's arraignment Monday, Times-Union of Albany reported. The lawyer and the public defender's office assigned to defend Frattolin did not immediately respond to Associated Press phone and email requests for comment.
Luciano Frattolin called 911 Saturday night to report that has daughter had been abducted from a parking lot near Lake George, a resort town in the Adirondack region, authorities said. That led officials to issue an Amber Alert to enlist the public's help in finding her.
But authorities said over the weekend that there were inconsistencies in the father's account, and that they concluded there was no evidence she had been taken.
'He fabricated the initial report of the abduction,' McConnell said.
Investigators found the girl's body on Sunday in the shallows of a pond about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Lake George, near New York's border with Vermont, authorities said.
Police said the father and daughter had been vacationing in the U.S. and were expected back in Montreal on Sunday. The girl lived with her mother, who has been estranged from Luciano Frattolin since 2019, police said.
Frattolin did not respond to requests for comment sent via LinkedIn, Instagram and his company website over the weekend. He described himself as a 'loving father' on his Instagram profile, and on the website of a coffee company said to be founded by him, a post says that his daughter Melina is 'the light of his life.'
Police said Frattolin had no prior criminal or domestic violence history.
—-
Associated Press reporter Cedar Attanasio in New York City contributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Grenade missing from scene of blast that killed three LA police officers
Grenade missing from scene of blast that killed three LA police officers

The Guardian

time19 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Grenade missing from scene of blast that killed three LA police officers

A grenade is missing from the scene of an explosion that killed three people at a Los Angeles law enforcement training facility, authorities said. Three veteran deputy sheriffs died in the explosion last Friday, the LA county sheriff's department's largest loss of life in a single incident since 1857. Sheriff Robert Luna said the men were working on two 'military-style' grenades when one detonated. The other is unaccounted for, Luna said, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which is investigating the blast. Luna said authorities have X-rayed special enforcement bureau vehicles, searched the blast area and examined office spaces and the gym, but have not found the second grenade. 'You get the drift. We have looked at everything out there that we possibly could,' he said, adding that no one from the public has had access to the area. The grenades were seized at an apartment complex in Santa Monica a day before the explosion, Luna said. He said detectives X-rayed the devices and believed they were inert. The devices were then taken to be 'destroyed and rendered safe' at the Biscailuz training facility, where one exploded. Luna said he has called for an independent review of the policies and practices of the arson and explosives team, and has already changed how they handle these types of situations. 'All future explosive devices, inert or not, will be treated as if they are all live and will be disposed of accordingly,' he said. It was not known whether the grenades had any connection to the military. The men killed were detectives: Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus, Detective William Osborn. They served 19, 22 and 33 years in the department respectively. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is expected to publish a final report on their deaths in September.

Sick moment Brit tourist is kicked in head ‘by gang trying to steal his phone' as cops arrest five 17-year-old boys
Sick moment Brit tourist is kicked in head ‘by gang trying to steal his phone' as cops arrest five 17-year-old boys

The Sun

time19 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Sick moment Brit tourist is kicked in head ‘by gang trying to steal his phone' as cops arrest five 17-year-old boys

THIS is the sick moment a Brit tourist was kicked in the head by a gang of teenagers during a horror robbery in Portugal. The Brit, 18, was left bloodied and unconscious during the assault after the yobs allegedly tried to steal his phone and cash before fleeing the scene. 4 4 4 Footage filmed by the violent attackers shows the victim lying defenceless on the ground after being attacked. Portuguese police revealed today that the 18-year-old Brit had been robbed and hospitalised. The group is said to have stolen the victim's phone, worth around €600 (£525) Cops said five of the attackers - all aged 17 - have been arrested. Another four were identified by police. The violent crime occurred at the party resort of Albufeira. Two of the teenage suspects were filmed kicking their victim in the footage posted online. CCTV footage in the area where the assault took place is understood to have been key to the identification of those responsible. The unnamed victim is now back in the UK. Confirming the arrests, a spokesman for the GNR police force said: "The Faro Territorial Command arrested five 17-year-old men for robbery in the municipality of Albufeira. Shocking moment Brit influencer HSTikkyTokky batters reveller as massive brawl erupts in Magaluf "Following an investigation into a robbery involving violent assaults on an 18-year-old man, which took place on 17 July in the town of Albufeira. "The military police carried out police investigations that enabled them to identify and locate the suspects. 'During the police investigation, the GNR intercepted the five suspects and arrested them, also seizing five mobile phones. 'The detainees were due to appear on July 24 at the Portimao Judicial Court.' The teenagers, who live in Quarteira near Albufeira, are suspected of a number of other violent assaults on other young tourists. An active police investigation is ongoing. Local reports said they filmed the attacks and posted the footage on social media to brag about what they had done. Albufeira has come under the spotlight in recent weeks following the deaths of two British tourists in quick succession. On June 4, tragic Scots tourist Greg Monks was found dead near Albufeira after going missing a week earlier in the resort. The 38-year-old plant mechanic from Glasgow is believed to have lost his life after jumping over a wall and falling down a steep hillside during a night out with his stag do friends. Around four hours before Greg's body was found by police, another young Brit tourist was found dead behind a steep drop at the back of a residential block by Albufeira's Old Town. The 21-year-old is said to have gone out drinking with pals and is thought to have become disoriented as he tried to get back to his hotel. News of his death only emerged three days after Greg was found dead. 4

Trump bids to release Epstein grand jury files – what secrets might they hold?
Trump bids to release Epstein grand jury files – what secrets might they hold?

The Guardian

time27 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Trump bids to release Epstein grand jury files – what secrets might they hold?

As Donald Trump reels from political fallout related to his justice department's handling of Jeffrey Epstein investigation files, the US president has directed his loyal attorney general, Pam Bondi, to 'release all Grand Jury testimony with respect to Jeffrey Epstein, subject only to court approval'. It is an effort at damage control for a White House now engulfed in endless speculation – especially among Trump's previously devoted Maga base – about the extent of Trump's relationship with the late, disgraced sex trafficker and wealthy financier who killed himself in jail in 2019. Justice department attorneys quickly filed paperwork in Manhattan and south Florida federal courts requesting unsealing of grand jury testimony for Epstein. Justice department officials have also asked a New York judge to release grand jury transcripts for Ghislaine Maxwell – Epstein's sometimes girlfriend and longtime confidante who in 2021 was convicted of sex trafficking for luring teenage girls into his orbit. A grand jury is a panel that decides whether evidence presented by prosecutors shows 'probable cause' that someone committed a crime, and whether they should be tried. Should the grand jury, which is not the trial jury, find that there is sufficient evidence, an indictment will be issued. But veteran US attorneys, including those who have represented Epstein victims, told the Guardian that any release of grand jury transcripts around Epstein and Maxwell might not provide much insight into Epstein's crimes and whether others were involved in abusing minors – or in covering up his years of predation of young girls and women. The lawyers, however, insist that meaningful information does exist in yet-to-be released Epstein files held by federal law enforcement authorities from multiple investigations into Epstein. Whether the political will – and legal ability – exists to release any or all of those files remains to be seen. 'Grand juries serve two functions: to indict and to investigate. The transcripts may contain testimony of victims or cooperating witnesses if the grand jury was investigating Epstein,' Neama Rahmani, founder of West Coast Trial Lawyers, and a former federal prosecutor, said of grand jury processes. The grand jury transcripts could include graphic and explicit evidence, but they could also include more pro forma information about the actions of Epstein and Maxwell, who is serving jail time in Florida. 'If they were indicting Epstein, we can expect to see law enforcement witnesses summarizing the evidence of probable cause to support the charges. That would probably be less interesting, and similar to the factual allegations in the Epstein indictment,' Rahmani said. He added: 'There is likely much more salacious evidence out there than the grand jury transcripts. 'The FBI interview summaries and internal Department of Justice memoranda probably contain the juiciest details. The grand jury transcripts are just a small part of the picture. If Bondi was serious about transparency, she would make public the complete Epstein files, subject to redactions to protect the privacy rights of the victims.' Top lawyer Gloria Allred, who has represented multiple Epstein victims, said government files should be made public with several exceptions, such as redaction of victims' names and identifying information, attorney-client communications and material depicting abuse. 'I think there is information that the government could release, such as texts, emails and other electronic communications of Jeffrey Epstein and anyone with whom he communicated. In addition, any communications on behalf of Mr Epstein made by his employees who may have played a part in recruiting or dealing with victims at the request of Mr Epstein and/or Ms Maxwell could be released,' Allred said. 'All evidence in the file of the United States attorney for the southern district of New York which was gathered for the prosecution of Mr Epstein, with the exceptions which I have listed previously, could be released.' Allred believes 'all files, both federal and state that reflect the investigation and potential prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein in Florida should also be made public'. Thorough investigations of Epstein were conducted in New York and Florida, Allred pointed out, and those investigations would be in those files. Spencer T Kuvin, chief legal officer of GoldLaw and an attorney for Epstein victims, voiced similar sentiments. 'The real documents that the public needs to see are the documents maintained by the FBI and Department of Justice. They have thousands of hours of videotapes and investigative memos and documents regarding the data that was seized at his homes,' he said. Kuvin said that unsealing grand jury testimony was a 'good first step' but limits information to four victims over whom Epstein was charged in New York. 'I am aware that the FBI had interviewed over 40 girls during their investigations. Where are those interviews, where are those reports? 'The abusers should be disclosed to the public so that we may all know who they are,' Kuvin also said, insisting that victims' privacy must be protected in such a process. He called on Trump to act. 'This administration could end the dispute tomorrow by the president signing an executive order demanding the release of all the material in the custody of the FBI and DoJ,' Kuvin said. 'Either Trump has the power to do this, or he must admit that he is not as powerful as he has professed to be to the public and his Maga followers.' Trump's current political woes stem from his backtracking on previous vows to release the Epstein files. On the campaign trail, he vowed to declassify the files, but then attracted scathing criticism when his justice department released a memo claiming that there was no 'incriminating' client list within the tranche of documents related to Epstein. The justice department's claim that they did not find evidence implicating third parties has further fanned the flames of suspicion, especially as last week the Wall Street Journal reported that Bondi had warned Trump that his name appears in the files. A smattering of reports highlighting Trump's friendship with Epstein several decades ago – which reportedly ended following a real estate dispute, several years before the late financier admitted to a state-level charge of soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida – has proved yet another political minefield. Even if federal authorities and Trump drag their feet in releasing these documents, it is possible that new civil litigation could eventually force them to do so raising the prospect of yet more political scandals heading Trump's way. Maria Farmer, an Epstein survivor who in 1996 told authorities he and Maxwell were abusing minors including her sister, is suing the federal government over their handling of these claims. Farmer's suit alleges that the FBI 'chose to do absolutely nothing'. Farmer also claims that the FBI agent taking her call 'hung up on her, and no one at the FBI attempted to follow up with her or pursue her valid and serious allegations, most of which continued for many years, if not decades, with wide-ranging tragic consequences.' If this litigation progresses, both sides would exchange evidence related to the claims in a process called discovery. While discovery is typically subject to a confidentiality agreement, and solidified by a court order, information from this exchange could come up in subsequent court papers that are public. 'What this lawsuit could reveal is what the FBI and the department did and did not do, what they failed to do – they failed to do their job,' Farmer's attorney, Jennifer Freeman, special counsel at Marsh Law Firm, told the Guardian. Freeman noted, for example, that she has a redacted set of pages from what appears to be a 2006 field interview with Farmer, during which an FBI agent went to her home and spoke with her. Freeman said she had some 20 pages of handwritten notes, 'many of which are redacted'. She said: 'That's the kind of information we need. It's redacted. I've been trying to get this information for years now, through Foia [Freedom of Information Act] requests, but we've been stymied every time.' Neither the White House nor Department of Justice commented.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store