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Latham, New York (AP) — A Montreal man has been charged with murdering his 9-year-old daughter, whose body was discovered in a pond after he reported her abducted during a vacation in upstate New York.
Luciano Frattolin, 45, faces charges of murder and concealment of a corpse in the death of Melina Frattolin, according to New York State Police. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on Monday. Frattolin’s assigned public defender has not yet responded to requests for comment.
The investigation began Saturday night when Frattolin contacted 911, claiming his daughter had been abducted from a parking lot near Lake George. This report prompted an Amber Alert.
However, police say inconsistencies in Frattolin’s story, initially involving a disappearance after he left a wooded area and later changing to an abduction by two men in a white van, led them to suspect foul play. Investigators found no evidence supporting the abduction claim.
Surveillance footage placed Frattolin and Melina in Saratoga Springs around 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Approximately an hour later, Melina spoke with her mother by phone, showing no signs of distress. Police believe Frattolin killed his daughter sometime after that call but before reporting her missing.
Melina’s body was recovered Sunday afternoon from a pond in Ticonderoga, about 30 miles north of Lake George. The criminal complaint alleges Frattolin hid her body under a log. An autopsy is pending.
Police say Frattolin and Melina, who lived with her mother in Montreal, had been on vacation in the U.S. since July 11 and were due to return that weekend. Frattolin and Melina’s mother have been estranged since 2019. Despite online profiles where Frattolin described himself as a “loving father” and called Melina “the light of his life,” police report no prior history of criminal activity or domestic violence.