A Montreal father accused of killing his 9-year-old daughter during a trip to the United States has been indicted on charges of second-degree murder and concealment of a corpse, according to New York prosecutors. The chilling indictment alleges that Luciano Frattolin, 45, deliberately hid his daughter’s body beneath a fallen tree and a rock in a wooded area of Essex County.
Court documents describe how Frattolin “concealed his daughter’s remains by placing it in a wooded area in water, near a fallen tree with a rock on top of the corpse.” Preliminary autopsy findings later determined that the child, identified as Melina Frattolin, died from “asphyxia due to drowning.”
Frattolin, who pleaded not guilty, initially reported his daughter missing on July 20. According to New York State Police Capt. Robert McConnell, Frattolin claimed that while traveling on I-87 near Exit 22 in Lake George, he pulled into a rest stop to relieve himself. He told officers that upon returning to his vehicle, Melina had vanished.
He further alleged that two unidentified men had forced his daughter into a suspicious white van, fleeing southbound. Investigators later disproved that account. Authorities launched a large-scale search, and within hours, Melina’s body was discovered in a shallow pond in Ticonderoga, about 30 miles northeast of Lake George, near the New York-Vermont border.
Prosecutors say Frattolin attempted to conceal her remains under a log in the waterway. Frattolin, who runs a Montreal-based coffee importing business called Gambella Coffee, had been separated from his wife since 2019. The couple shared custody arrangements, with Melina living full-time with her mother.
Officials confirmed that his estranged wife was aware of his planned U.S. trip with their daughter, which was to include stops in Connecticut, New York City, and upstate New York. The vacation began on July 11, with Melina scheduled to return to Montreal by July 20. Instead, her tragic disappearance and death sparked an intensive investigation that quickly turned suspicion toward her father.
“This suspect’s initial account involved a suspicious van and unknown suspects, but that lead was thoroughly investigated and disproven,” McConnell explained during a press briefing. Authorities say Frattolin has no prior criminal record, and no evidence of previous domestic abuse has surfaced. The motive behind the alleged murder remains unclear.
Despite once referring to his daughter as “the light of his life” on his company’s website, Frattolin now faces what could be a life-altering prison sentence. Investigators continue to piece together what led to the young girl’s death in a case that has shocked both New York and Montreal communities.