New details have emerged in the young girl’s tragic death — including surveillance footage, a final call to her mother, the chilling location where her body was found, and the cause and manner of death — all culminating in murder charges against her father.
New York State Police have charged the father of 9-year-old Melina Frattolin with second-degree murder and the concealment of a human corpse. The development comes after the child’s body was found in a pond in Ticonderoga, New York, one day after she was reported missing.
Luciano Frattolin, 45, was arraigned on Monday morning (July 21, 2025) in Ticonderoga Town Court and pleaded not guilty to both charges. He is currently being held at the Essex County Jail.
Authorities said Luciano contacted the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at around 9:58 p.m. on Saturday to report that his daughter had disappeared near Exit 22 on the Northway in Lake George.
He initially suggested that Melina may have been abducted. An AMBER Alert issued early Sunday stated the child had last been seen in a white van heading southbound.
Melina’s body was discovered by law enforcement on Sunday, July 20, at approximately 1:50 p.m. Police located her in a shallow section of a pond in Ticonderoga. Court documents allege that her body had been hidden under a log.
Both Melina and her father were residents of Montreal, Canada. According to New York State Police, the two had entered the United States legally on July 11 for a vacation.
They were due to return to Canada on Sunday, when Melina was expected to be returned to her mother’s full-time custody. Authorities noted that Melina’s parents had been estranged since 2019.
On Saturday evening, Melina was captured on video at a restaurant in Saratoga Springs around 5:30 p.m. An hour later, she spoke with her mother by phone and said they were on their way back to Canada. Police said she appeared to be in good health and showed no signs of distress during the call.
During a Monday press briefing, Troop G Captain Robert McConnell stated, “The investigation has determined, sometime after Melina’s phone call with her mother and before Mr. Frattolin’s 911 call, he allegedly murdered Melina and left her body in a remote area where she was later discovered by law enforcement.”
Officials said “inconsistencies” in Luciano’s version of events raised suspicion early in the investigation. In his initial report, he claimed he had stopped to urinate in a wooded area and returned to find his daughter missing.
He also stated a suspicious white van had fled the scene. In a later version, he said that two unknown males had forced Melina into a van. Police said both versions were investigated and determined to be fabricated.
On July 21, 2025, Dr. Michael Sikirica conducted Melina Frattolin’s autopsy at Glens Falls Hospital in Glens Falls, New York. While the final report is pending further laboratory testing, preliminary findings list Melina’s cause of death as asphyxia due to drowning and the manner of death as homicide.
