In Elizabethtown, New York, a man faced charges on Wednesday, pleading not guilty to accusations related to the death of his 9-year-old daughter. The incident took place while on vacation in the Adirondack Mountains, where he allegedly drowned and concealed her body.
Luciano Frattolin, 45, became the subject of intense investigation after he reported his daughter, Melina Frattolin, missing earlier this month. The report came near their expected return to Montreal, setting off a large-scale search. Investigators soon identified discrepancies in Frattolin’s statements, leading to his arrest and an indictment on charges of murder and hiding a corpse.
During a brief court appearance, Frattolin, dressed in a gray suit and glasses, was denied bail and returned to jail. The case against him began with a 911 call on the night of July 19, in which he claimed his daughter vanished from a parking lot close to Lake George in the Adirondacks. New York State Police reported that Frattolin later alleged two men had forced his daughter into a white van.
Authorities responded with an Amber Alert to assist in the search. However, noticing inconsistencies in Frattolin’s account, they determined there had been no kidnapping. Ultimately, searchers discovered Melina’s body in a pond near a state highway. According to the indictment, the body was hidden beneath a rock adjacent to a fallen tree.
Melina lived in Montreal with her mother, who had been estranged from Frattolin for several years, police indicated. Frattolin, originally from Ethiopia, resided in Montreal at the time of the events, with his lawyer noting that he possesses an Italian passport.