A CEO from Canada allegedly hid his daughter's body in a remote location before telling authorities that she had been abducted.
Luciano Frattolin, a 45-year-old Montreal entrepreneur and founder of Gambella Coffee, has been charged with second-degree murder and concealing the body of his nine-year-old daughter, Melina.
Frattolin and his daughter, both in the U.S. legally and visiting New York since July 11, were supposed to return to Quebec on Sunday, per the Daily Mail.
Authorities say Frattolin, who lived in Montreal and has no prior criminal record, made a desperate 911 call on Saturday night to report that Melina had been taken by two men in a white van while they were stopped near Exit 22 on I-87, near Lake George.
At the time, he told police he had pulled over to urinate in the woods, only to return and find his daughter gone. He later added that “two unknown males forced” Melina into the vehicle.
New York State Police swiftly issued an Amber Alert, warning that Melina was in “imminent danger.”
But investigators quickly grew suspicious after noticing “inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided.”
Just before 2:00PM on Sunday, Frattolin's story unraveled, as reported by the New York Times.
New York State Forest Rangers located Melina’s body “in the shallow water of a pond” in Ticonderoga. There was no evidence to support the claim of an abduction, and officials stated that there was “no threat to the public.”
“This is certainly a difficult case and a heartbreaking investigation,” said Captain Robert McConnell at a press conference Monday.
According to McConnell, Melina’s final known moments were captured on surveillance footage at 5:30PM on Saturday in Saratoga Springs.
By 6:30PM, she had phoned her mother in Montreal and told her she and her father were en route back to Canada. “The child appeared to be in good health and did not indicate she was under any duress,” McConnell said.
Tragically, police believe that “sometime after Melina's phone call with her mother and sometime 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.”
Frattolin and Melina had entered the U.S. legally on July 11 for a vacation and were scheduled to return to Quebec the day after the killing.
McConnell confirmed that Melina lived full-time with her mother, who had been estranged from Frattolin since 2019. The father had visitation rights without restrictions.
Frattolin was arrested and appeared in Ticonderoga Town Court on Monday in a white jumpsuit and shackles.
He pleaded not guilty and is currently being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility. He’s due back in court on July 25. Melina’s cause of death remains unknown pending autopsy results.
Behind his image as a globe-trotting coffee mogul, Frattolin was reportedly in deep financial distress, per the New York Post.
He owed more than $200,000 in business-related debts in Montreal. He had been renting a property in the trendy Mile End neighborhood since 2020, which he sublet on Airbnb to cover child support costs.
But in August 2024, his lease was terminated after falling $26,000 behind on rent.
Frattolin claimed the property also held his daughter’s winter clothing and toys and was suing his property managers for $115,000, accusing them of mishandling payments.
The managers, in turn, alleged that he had planned to empty his bank account and flee the country — a charge he denied.
He also owed $83,000 to the Bank of Nova Scotia for a previous coffee venture, Dépanneur Café, and had $97,000 in unpaid credit card debt tied to Café Gambella.