Father of 9-year-old Canadian girl charged with 2nd degree murder

The father of a nine-year-old girl from Montreal has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder after she was found dead on Sunday.

The father of a nine-year-old Canadian girl from Montreal, Que. has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder after she was found dead on Sunday, New York State Police (NYSP) confirmed Monday.

Luciano Frattolin, 45, reported his daughter, Melina Frattolin, missing near Lake George, N.Y., on Saturday night.

The child’s body was found in the shallow portion of a remote pond on Sunday, July 20, at 10:50 a.m. in Ticonderoga, N.Y., near the Vermont border.

New York State Police Captain Robert A. McConnell led the news conference on Monday, revealing the preliminary information of the case.

• TIMELINE: What we know about 9-year-old Melina Frattolin’s last days

Police are not releasing the location of the pond.

On July 11, McConnell said the father and daughter legally entered the U.S. for a vacation, and were expected to return on July 20, the day Melina’s body was found.

The two visited a number of locations in Connecticut and New York, including New York City.

Melina’s mother, who lives in Montreal, has had sole custody of her daughter since the couple became estranged in 2019, police said.

The force added that Melina’s father called 911 at 10 p.m. on Saturday to report his daughter missing with a possible abduction.

McConnell said that Frattolin told officers he had been driving and pulled over in a parking lot in Lake George to urinate.

“His initial report is that he steps away to a wooded area, returns to the vehicle; at that point, his child is gone from the vehicle,” he said.

McConnell said Frattolin then reported a suspicious white van fleeing the scene, and later added that two unknown males forced his daughter into the white van.

“That lead was thoroughly investigated and disproven,” said McConnell.

Melina was last seen with her father on the day of the 911 call at 5:20 p.m. on video surveillance in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., police said, and she spoke to her mother at 6:30 p.m., saying she was on her way back to Canada.

“The child appeared to be in good health, and did not indicate that she was under any duress,” said McConnell. “The investigation has determined that 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.”

Luciano Frattolin is also charged with concealment of human remains.

The Times Union of Albany reported that a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf on Monday morning.

He is being held at the Essex County jail.

He has no criminal record or history of mental health issues, according to police.

An autopsy is also scheduled for Monday to determine the cause of Melina’s death.

“This is certainly a difficult case and a heartbreaking investigation,” said McConnell, who offered condolences to Melina’s family.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call N.Y. State Police at 518-783-3211.

With files from The Associated Press.