Girls' Cause of Death Revealed After Dad Who Claimed She Was Abducted Is Charged with Murder

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

The 9-year-old's father was charged with murder after the girl was found dead, with police accusing him of killing his daughter despite his claims she was abducted.

The cause of death of 9-year-old Melina Frattolin -- who was found dead after her father reported her missing -- has been revealed.

On Tuesday, New York State Police shared a press release, announcing that preliminary autopsy results showed Melina's cause of death was asphyxia due to drowning, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

The cause of Melina's death came just one day after authorities announced that her father, Luciano Frattolin, 45, was charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse.

The child was reported missing in Northern New York on Saturday night by her father, 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."

Luciano was arrested and charged on Monday. According to NBC News, he pleaded not guilty and remains behind bars.

During a press conference on Monday morning, police said Luciano and Melina were seen in Saratoga Springs around 5:30 on Saturday, before the girl spoke with her mother around 6:30 p.m., 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.