A Canadian father has been arrested and charged with the murder of his nine-year-old daughter during what was supposed to be a weekend custody visit in upstate New York.
Luciano Frattolin, 45, was taken into custody early Monday (July 21) and charged with second-degree murder and unlawful disposal of a corpse, after police discovered the body of his daughter, Melina Galanis Frattolin, in a shallow pond near Ticonderoga on Sunday afternoon.
Frattolin had initially reported his daughter missing on Saturday night, claiming she had been abducted by someone in a white van after he stopped to use the bathroom near Lake George.
However, authorities say they quickly identified “inconsistencies” in his story — and later accused him of killing the child himself, the New York Post reports.
Weekend Visitation Ends in Tragedy
Melina had been spending the weekend with her father as part of a scheduled custody visit. Her parents, who divorced in 2019, share custody arrangements, though the girl lived full-time with her mother in Montreal. Frattolin had legal permission to travel with his daughter, and authorities say there were no prior reports of domestic violence or criminal behavior.
According to New York State Police, the father and daughter were seen on surveillance footage in Saratoga Springs around 5:30PM on Saturday. Melina then spoke with her mother by phone at approximately 6:30PM, just before the pair were due to fly home to Quebec. Her mother said the child sounded fine during the call.
By 7:40PM, Frattolin had contacted authorities to report that Melina had vanished. He claimed he had briefly stepped away to relieve himself in the woods near Lake George, and returned to find his daughter missing and a white van pulling away from the area.
Police issued an Amber Alert around four hours later, citing concerns that the child had been taken “under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious bodily harm and/or death.”
A Grim Discovery and Criminal Charges
Just one day later, Melina’s body was discovered in a shallow portion of a pond near Ticonderoga, a remote area close to the Vermont border and approximately 40 miles north of where she was first reported missing.
By Sunday evening, investigators publicly dismissed the kidnapping claim, stating there was “no indication that an abduction occurred” and confirming that Frattolin’s account had not held up under scrutiny.
On Monday morning, Frattolin was formally charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse. He was processed at Essex County Jail just after 2:00AM. Authorities allege that he murdered his daughter shortly after her final phone call with her mother, and then left her body in a remote location.
An autopsy was scheduled for Monday to determine the exact cause of death.
As of now, investigators have not suggested a motive. The investigation remains ongoing.
A Shocking Turn for a Devoted Father
Frattolin, who was born in Ethiopia, is the founder of Gambella Coffee - a Montreal-based company named after the region of his birth. His company’s website had previously described him as a committed father devoted to social justice and deeply inspired by his daughter.
“His pursuits for building a more equitable and just world are deeply guided by his determination that she will not have to endure the same social injustices that he encountered throughout his childhood,” reads his biography, per The Post.
“Melina has also taught Luciano to let go of his rigid tendencies to keep everything in ‘perfect order’ — his love for Melina’s messy art projects and chaotic ensemble of toys supersedes his love for a meticulously spotless home.”
Elsewhere on the company’s website, Frattolin had described Melina as “the light of his life” and “his inspiration.”
Police confirmed that Melina’s mother had no prior concerns about the child’s safety during visits with her father.
The case has left communities in both Canada and the US stunned by the rapid shift from an urgent Amber Alert to a homicide investigation — and the tragic death of a little girl who, just hours before she died, sounded perfectly fine on the phone with her mother.