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*

[tlcya]

Yes, that may very well be what they're starting with. On that assumption the charges might be upgraded upon further investigation and evidence?

that is kinda how I am leaning. That the initial charges could be updated or added to once autopsy is complete and more evidence gathered.

 

[SMK777]

Luciano also ran other business that weren't doing well.

Source (in French)

With his businesses in freefall, maybe he felt he had nothing to lose.

I had read an early article saying he was a successful entrepreneur. The above makes me wonder about life insurance, with the assumption that investigators were supposed to think the abducter placed her in the pond?

 

[Teche]

@WNYT


JUST IN: Video of Luciano Frattolin, 45, who is charged in the death of his 9-year-old daughter, Melina Frattolin.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947325581193773382

For a guy who’s accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle, what a what a step-down wearing a paper jumpsuit. Yikes.

 

[truthfinder2019]

https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/provincial-news/article1053686.html

 

[truthfinder2019]

French nd Canadian press are giving details on alleged financial difficulties

Problèmes financiers​

Luciano Frattolin doit plus de 150 000$ en solde de carte de crédit non payé à la Banque de Nouvelle-Écosse. L’institution bancaire réclame près de 97 000$ à l’entreprise Café Gambella, dont M. Frattolin est le propriétaire, et près de 83 000$ à l’entreprise Dépanneur Café, dont il n’est plus le propriétaire.

Financial problems

Luciano Frattolin owes more than $150,000 in unpaid credit card balance to the Bank of Nova Scotia. The banking institution claims nearly $97,000 from the company Café Gambella, including Mr. Frattolin is the owner, and nearly $83,000 to the company Dépanneur Café, of which he is no longer the owner.

More at

Le père de la petite Montréalaise retrouvée morte aux États-Unis plaide non coupable de meurtre

Une enquête a été confiée à la police de l’État de New York.

www.ledevoir.com

https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2025/07/21/accuse-du-meurtre-de-sa-fille-croulant-sous-les-dettes-il-peinait-a-subvenir-aux-besoins-de-la-petite

 

[snideremarks]

I had read an early article saying he was a successful entrepreneur. The above makes me wonder about life insurance, with the assumption that investigators were supposed to think the abducter placed her in the pool?

He was successful in the past but recently his finances have been underwater.

I don't think he would kill Melina to get life insurance. I don't think life insurance payouts are that huge in Quebec as it is in the US. He definitely cared about Melina (too much I think) and when he felt like he could no longer provide for her, he chose to kill her to "save" her from a life she could no longer have. Classic family annihilator logic.

 

[SMK777]

He was successful in the past but recently his finances have been underwater.

I don't think he would kill Melina to get life insurance. I don't think life insurance payouts are that huge in Quebec as it is in the US. He definitely cared about Melina (too much I think) and when he felt like he could no longer provide for her, he chose to kill her to "save" her from a life she could no longer have. Classic family annihilator logic.

Yes, that's a possibility. Maybe he felt if his financial situation was tanking, he wouldn't be able to have her in his life anymore, as well.

 

[Inthedetails]

He was successful in the past but recently his finances have been underwater.

I don't think he would kill Melina to get life insurance. I don't think life insurance payouts are that huge in Quebec as it is in the US. He definitely cared about Melina (too much I think) and when he felt like he could no longer provide for her, he chose to kill her to "save" her from a life she could no longer have. Classic family annihilator logic.

Or, maybe he intended murder-suicide but chickened out of the second part at the last minute and concocted a dumb story about the white-van abduction. ? idk.

jmo

 

[snideremarks]

I think premeditated because of the placing the dead body in water. If left in water long enough, dna evidence would be destroyed. Although it would work better on evidence in a car,or evidence by unknown persons, the police found the body by cell phone signal mapping, they know he did it, the only thing to be destroyed is rape evidence.

On the contrary, I think he was a disorganized/spontaneous killer and once he killed her, he tried to distance himself as much as possible from the crime scene. As he drove southbound in a panic, that was when he decided to concoct this story about Melina being abducted.

Also, they had been in the US since July 11 and were on their way back to Canada (July 18) when he murdered her. He had many chances before then to kill her and hide the body. He's an ex-CEO; I think he could make her disappear if he really had time and intent to plan her murder. The mother had no reason to believe he would be violent.

On the drive back to Canada I think reality was starting to sink in for Luciano - that his finances were imploding and he was about to lose custody of his daughter, and that fear of losing control made him snap.

Hence I think this is why NYSP charged him with second degree murder as first degree would be hard to prove.

 

[vls12345]

https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/provincial-news/article1053686.html

From that link:

 

[vls12345]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/missing-canadian-girl-found-dead-new-york-1.7589787

 

[Betty P]

I don’t think this was premeditated but I think maybe something set him off.
Maybe his ex texted or called him asking him to bring Melina home asap.
Something triggered him to do this hellacious thing to his own flesh and blood daughter.
I can’t imagine it doesn’t involve anger/animosity toward his ex. If this was premeditated I think this would have played out differently. She could have been “washed away” by a wave in the ocean for example.
He doesn’t sound completely stupid but he was dumb enough to backtrack on his way back to Canada after killing Melina- which makes no sense- and to concoct a story that wouldn’t hold water. He likely had his phone on near the pond where he left her because they found her so quickly- he was either tracked that way or through his SAT NAV on his car or through cameras/ license plate readers on the road.
In any case, the police detectives need to be commended for wrapping this up so quickly.
Those things he wrote about the bad thing in 2019 and praising his daughter make him sound like a psycho in reality or an oddball at best. Poor child. IMHO only.

Also, so bizarre that he put so much of his personal life and relationships with his ex and daughter on social media. I don't get that. It's almost as though some people who do this feel they have this big ideal perfect life they need to put on display for their social media audience.

When they don't achieve that ideal personal life, they try to destroy it. Very dumb.

 

[SMK777]

Or, maybe he intended murder-suicide but chickened out of the second part at the last minute and concocted a dumb story about the white-van abduction. ? idk.

jmo

It's possible.

 

[Inthedetails]

"Accused killer dad Luciano Frattolin may have been struggling to cover child support for his daughter, owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to creditors despite depicting a high-flying lifestyle on social media.

The flailing 45-year-old Canadian coffee entrepreneur — charged Monday with the murder of his 9-year-old daughter Melina during a trip to upstate New York — had rented a property in the hip Montreal enclave of Mile End since 2020, which he sublet as an Airbnb, according to a report in La Presse.

He hired two property managers to run the venture, including having them make the rent payments he owed — enabling him to pay his daughter’s child support with what he netted afterward, he said in court documents obtained by the outlet."

Accused killer dad Luciano Frattolin may have been struggling to pay dead daughter Melina’s child support as staggering debt is revealed

Accused killer dad Luciano Frattolin may have been struggling to cover child support for his daughter, owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to creditors despite depicting a high-flying lifestyle …

nypost.com

 

[SMK777]

On the contrary, I think he was a disorganized/spontaneous killer and once he killed her, he tried to distance himself as much as possible from the crime scene. As he drove southbound in a panic, that was when he decided to concoct this story about Melina being abducted.

Also, they had been in the US since July 11 and were on their way back to Canada (July 18) when he murdered her. He had many chances before then to kill her and hide the body. He's an ex-CEO; I think he could make her disappear if he really had time and intent to plan her murder. The mother had no reason to believe he would be violent.

On the drive back to Canada I think reality was starting to sink in for Luciano - that his finances were imploding and he was about to lose custody of his daughter, and that fear of losing control made him snap.

Hence I think this is why NYSP charged him with second degree murder as first degree would be hard to prove.

I agree that if it had been premeditated, he would surely have more carefully planned the abduction story and disposal of her body. And that it would have been acted on earlier in the trip.

Maybe the child herself as they were about to head home to Canada brought up not wanting further visits and he snapped?

 

[Inthedetails]

"Accused killer dad Luciano Frattolin may have been struggling to cover child support for his daughter, owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to creditors despite depicting a high-flying lifestyle on social media.

The flailing 45-year-old Canadian coffee entrepreneur — charged Monday with the murder of his 9-year-old daughter Melina during a trip to upstate New York — had rented a property in the hip Montreal enclave of Mile End since 2020, which he sublet as an Airbnb, according to a report in La Presse.

He hired two property managers to run the venture, including having them make the rent payments he owed — enabling him to pay his daughter’s child support with what he netted afterward, he said in court documents obtained by the outlet."

Accused killer dad Luciano Frattolin may have been struggling to pay dead daughter Melina’s child support as staggering debt is revealed

Accused killer dad Luciano Frattolin may have been struggling to cover child support for his daughter, owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to creditors despite depicting a high-flying lifestyle …

nypost.com

More, from same link as above:

"But his lease was terminated by the landlord in August 2024 when he fell $26,000 behind in rent. He was also being denied access to the property, where he said he stored his daughter’s winter clothing and toys.

He is currently suing the managers for more than $115,000, claiming they exploited the property without his knowledge and never made the rent payments as promised, according to Le Devoir.

In turn, the managers alleged Frattolin had planned to empty his bank account and flee the country, which he denied."

 

[snideremarks]

Also, so bizarre that he put so much of his personal life and relationships with his ex and daughter on social media. I don't get that. It's almost as though some people who do this feel they have this big ideal perfect life they need to put on display for their social media audience.

When they don't achieve that ideal personal life, they try to destroy it. Very dumb.

Yes! Exactly why I think he's a family annihilator.

 

[SMK777]

"Accused killer dad Luciano Frattolin may have been struggling to cover child support for his daughter, owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to creditors despite depicting a high-flying lifestyle on social media.

The flailing 45-year-old Canadian coffee entrepreneur — charged Monday with the murder of his 9-year-old daughter Melina during a trip to upstate New York — had rented a property in the hip Montreal enclave of Mile End since 2020, which he sublet as an Airbnb, according to a report in La Presse.

He hired two property managers to run the venture, including having them make the rent payments he owed — enabling him to pay his daughter’s child support with what he netted afterward, he said in court documents obtained by the outlet."

Accused killer dad Luciano Frattolin may have been struggling to pay dead daughter Melina’s child support as staggering debt is revealed

Accused killer dad Luciano Frattolin may have been struggling to cover child support for his daughter, owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to creditors despite depicting a high-flying lifestyle …

nypost.com

There's an obvious motive that hadn't occurred to me.

 

[snideremarks]

Also, so bizarre that he put so much of his personal life and relationships with his ex and daughter on social media. I don't get that. It's almost as though some people who do this feel they have this big ideal perfect life they need to put on display for their social media audience.

When they don't achieve that ideal personal life, they try to destroy it. Very dumb.

The way he put Melina in a pedestal when describing her in the 'About' section of his Gambella Coffee website further shows that he didn't want to ruin this fantasy of being Melina's hero/provider.

 

[Inthedetails]

The way he put Melina in a pedestal when describing her in the 'About' section of his Gambella Coffee website further shows that he didn't want to ruin this fantasy of being Melina's hero/provider.

I think you're right. He gave her one last big vacation and then made sure she never found out he was in ruins.

It's a theory that fits with what we know now, subject to change as we learn more.

jmo