NY - Melina Frattolin, 9, Abducted, seen 9:40pm in a white van traveling south on I-87 near exit 22, Lake George, 19 Jul 2025 *arrest*

[Snoopster]

about to start.

 

[Snoopster]

- search detail did a search in area where LF had stopped. Found Melina.
-Melina lived with her mother.
- on day she died Melina called her mom and said they were on their way back.
- charged w murder in second degree.
- will be arraigned this morning.
- autopsy will be conducted

 

[findbushey]

From presser - Mother had full custody. Luciano only visited with her. He and the mother had been “estranged” since 2019. She talked to her mother at 6:30pm telling her they were about to return to Canada. He then murdered her.

 

[findbushey]

Answers to presser questions:
- Dad reported two white males forced her into a white van after he pulled over and stepped into a wooden area to urinate
- She was found in a shallow portion of a pond in Ticonderoga.
- Focused in on Ticonderoga due to technology available to law enforcement and inconsistencies in father’s account. I believe mentioned earlier this was an area where they were staying.
- Planned vacation - visited a couple locations in CT and NY (incl NYC)
- No information about anything related to his mental health.
- He has no criminal or domestic violence history
- Arraignment scheduled for this morning.
- Mother had no concerns for daughter’s safety while she was with him. Law enforcement has been in contact with her throughout the investigation.

 

[Snoopster]

- motive still under investigation
- his story was he stepped out of the vehicle to urinated and when he came back to car, MF was gone. Saw white van leaving area.
- no criminal or domestic violence history
- saw inconsistencies in his account plus they used technology
- murder in second degree and concealment of a corpse

 

[Snoopster]

- was a planned vacation and were most recently in NYC
- was arrested at a restaurant (think that's what they were saying)
- found in shallow portion of a pond in a remote area

 

[Snoopster]

- It was very emotional. Speaker was at the command post when they heard a body had been found. And it was difficult.
- Was in custody of police from the time he made the report
- mom was aware of the trip

 

[imstilla.grandma]

He is scheduled to be arraigned at 10:30 a.m. in Ticonderoga Town Court

Warren County dispatchers fielded over 800 calls on Sunday. The child's body was found by a state Department of Environmental Conservation police officer who was taking part in a grid search on Sunday, according to the officer's union, the Police Benevolent Association of New York State. State forest rangers coordinated the search. Authorities have not revealed why the search focused on Ticonderoga

Based on the update from State Police released late Sunday afternoon, it is now unclear if the girl was ever in Lake George or Warren County. It was also not known on Sunday how long father and daughter had been in the U.S.

Tragic Melina Frattolin’s dad charged with murder after he reported her missing, as new details hint at possible motive

Luciano Frattolin — a 45-year-old debt-riddled neat-freak — was charged with second-degree murder and unlawful disposal of a corpse after the tragic child was found dead in a shallow waterway outsi…

nypost.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[findbushey]

He is scheduled to be arraigned at 10:30 a.m. in Ticonderoga Town Court

Warren County dispatchers fielded over 800 calls on Sunday. The child's body was found by a state Department of Environmental Conservation police officer who was taking part in a grid search on Sunday, according to the officer's union, the Police Benevolent Association of New York State. State forest rangers coordinated the search. Authorities have not revealed why the search focused on Ticonderoga

Based on the update from State Police released late Sunday afternoon, it is now unclear if the girl was ever in Lake George or Warren County. It was also not known on Sunday how long father and daughter had been in the U.S.

Tragic Melina Frattolin’s dad charged with murder after he reported her missing, as new details hint at possible motive

Luciano Frattolin — a 45-year-old debt-riddled neat-freak — was charged with second-degree murder and unlawful disposal of a corpse after the tragic child was found dead in a shallow waterway outsi…

nypost.com

We now know from the presser that they had been in the US since July 11th. Ticonderoga was one of the areas they visited as part of the vacation.

 

[Snoopster]

I wonder if one of the 'inconsistencies' in his story was that he said the abduction happened in the southbound lane of the highway. Why would he have been heading southbound if he was concluding his trip and heading north to Montreal, just a couple of hours away?

 

[CityKid]

Slight paraphrase due to paywall.
Police said Melina, who lived in Canada with her mom, had been vacationing with her dad in the U.S. since July 11, and they'd visited New York and Connecticut. In a phone call on Sunday, she told her mother she was heading home to Canada.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/20/nyregion/missing-girl-amber-alert-lake-george.html

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Police said Frattolin had no prior criminal or domestic violence history.

Father arrested in New York in death of 9-year-old daughter he had reported missing

A man whose 9-year-old daughter was found dead after he reported that she was abducted while they were vacationing in upstate New York has been charged with murder.

www.newsday.com

"He forgot the gifts his unique dual-nationality granted him—the innovation and creativity born out of the simplicity and extravagances found across both countries. He readily admits the mistakes of his past life and uses such reminiscences as momentum for doing better," the bio said. "In February 2019, Luciano was met with an unfortunate event that severely affected his well-being. Though his road to recovery was long and arduous, he remained determined.

'Mistakes of his past life': Canadian cafe owner Luciano Frattolin charged in US after daughter found dead, strange details revealed - Times of India

US News: Luciano Frattolin, a Canadian cafe owner, faces charges of second-degree murder and unlawful disposal of a body after his nine-year-old daughter, Meli

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Police take questions on investigation into the death of Melina Frattolin

New York State Police Troop Commander Christopher Gilroy takes questions on the investigation into the death of Quebec girl found dead.

www.ctvnews.ca

 

[GinaSeikwa]

So glad the NYS police were on him from the beginning. And they won’t mess around for sentencing and punishing him either.

Had LF perpetrated this awful crime closer to home in Quebec, we might still be searching for Melina (if there was even an Amber Alert to begin with) and would probably never had answers or justice served.

Small mercy that this occurred in NYS
and that they have the technical and professional training that led to Melina being discovered quickly and LF’s swift arrest

 

[Marie A]

This is so tragic.
I think this is one of those cases of an ex hating/loathing their ex spouse more than loving their child.
It is possible that this dad did want to bond with his daughter on vacation.
Maybe they both had an enjoyable time together.
But when it came time to return the child to her mother he was seething in anger and hatred towards his ex and wanted to punish his ex in the most abhorrent way.
This is such a repugnant and reprehensible act.
How sad for Melina’s mom.
I can’t think of another motive for murdering this child other than lashing out at his ex/ Melina’s mom IMHO.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

"He allegedly murdered Melina and left her body in a remote area where she was later discovered by law enforcement," said New York State Police Capt. Robert McConnell. "He fabricated the initial report of the abduction."

Father charged with murder of 9-year-old daughter in upstate NY after kidnapping hoax, officials say

A Canadian man was charged with murder in the death of his 9-year-old daughter in upstate New York, authorities said. Her body was found in a shallow pond.

6abc.com

The little girl’s body was found Sunday in a pond in Ticonderoga near the state border with Vermont.

Police also say Frattolin and his wife, Melina’s mother, have been estranged since 2019.

Father arrested in death of 9-year-old daughter he reported missing in NY

A Montreal man is being charged with murder in the death of his 9-year-old daughter whose body was found in Northern New York.

www.wcax.com

Melina Frattolin’s cause of death has been listed as pending, with an autopsy scheduled for later Monday.

Canadian dad accused of killing 9-year-old daughter in New York

New York State Police have charged a Canadian father with murdering his 9-year-old daughter and disposing of her body in a wooded area.

www.wlwt.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

"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. Seeing the world through her eyes has also helped Luciano look for creative ways to reinforce and empower Melina to know, feel, and understand her own unique individual beauty and intellect, while also teaching her to celebrate those same virtues inherent in the world’s diversity," the page notes.

Father arrested in death of 9-year-old daughter he reported missing in NY

A Montreal man is being charged with murder in the death of his 9-year-old daughter whose body was found in Northern New York.

www.wcax.com

 

[oceanverde]

God, this is horrific.

 

[stg]

"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. Seeing the world through her eyes has also helped Luciano look for creative ways to reinforce and empower Melina to know, feel, and understand her own unique individual beauty and intellect, while also teaching her to celebrate those same virtues inherent in the world’s diversity," the page notes.

Father arrested in death of 9-year-old daughter he reported missing in NY

A Montreal man is being charged with murder in the death of his 9-year-old daughter whose body was found in Northern New York.

www.wcax.com

He could sure talk the talk, but he didn’t walk the walk, did he? Just a devastating story. Such a beautiful life lost to the man who should have been her protector.

 

[Teche]

He posted numerous pictures traveling the globe and loving his 2nd Porche. Such a simple life.