Father Who Claimed Daughter Was Possibly Abducted Now Charged with Murder

News By TooFab Staff |
Essex County Sheriff's Office/amber.ny.gov

While on vacation in the US from Canada, the man claimed he stopped to use the bathroom and when he returned to his car, his daughter was gone; police, however, "identified inconsistencies" in his story -- before a body was found and he was charged with second degree murder.

There's been a shocking new update in the disappearance of 9-year-old Melina Frattolin.

The child was reported missing in Northern New York on Saturday night by her father, Luciano Frattolin. The two were on vacation together in Connecticut and New York and were on their way home to Montreal when she allegedly vanished.

The child lived with her mother full-time, while the girl's parents have been estranged since 2019, police said on Monday.

Her father initially told police on Saturday night that he stopped near Lake George so he could relieve himself in the woods -- to find his daughter gone and a white van pulling away when he got back to the vehicle. An Amber Alert went out on Sunday morning about a "possible abduction," reading "the child was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious bodily harm and/or death."

Then, on Sunday, police confirmed Melina was found dead in Ticonderoga, around 40 miles from where she was reported missing. In a statement Sunday night, authorities said, "As the case progressed, law enforcement identified inconsistencies in the father's account of events and the timeline he provided."

Monday morning, authorities then announced charges for Luciano, revealing he was charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse.

He has an arraignment scheduled for later today.

Police said in a presser this morning that the two were seen in Saratoga Springs around 5:30 on Saturday, before the girl spoke with her mother around 6:30pm, saying the father-daughter duo were on their way back to Canada.

Police believe he killed the girl sometime between when she spoke with her mother and when he reported her missing. Authorities also confirmed the girl's body was found in a shallow portion of a pond; no cause of death has yet been revealed.

"He allegedly murdered Melina and left her body in a remote area," police said during the presser.