TICONDEROGA — Luciano Frattolin killed his 9-year-old daughter in a remote wooded area in upstate New York, then stashed her body under a log in a nearby pond, cops allege in new criminal complaint Monday.
Frattolin, 45, was arrested and charged with daughter Melina’s murder after cops said he called in a bogus kidnapping report claiming she was taken away by two men in a white van Saturday, prompting an Amber Alert.
“Mr. Frattolin reported that he had stopped in a parking lot near Exit 22 on I-87 in Lake George to urinate,” New York State Police Capt. Robert McConnell told reporters at a briefing Monday, according to the Montreal Journal.
Police say Luciano Frattolin killed his daughter Melina, 9. Instagram/Luciano Frattolin
A map of where Melina Frattolin was found dead in upstate New York. Merrill Sherman / NY Post Design“He initially said he walked away from his vehicle, and when he returned, his child was gone. He reported a suspicious white vehicle near the scene, in addition to two men in the vehicle. This theory was thoroughly investigated and refuted.”
Melina’s lifeless body was discovered in Ticonderoga a few hours later, with authorities saying there was no evidence she had been kidnapped.
The family lives in Montreal, and Melina and her dad were vacationing in the Lake George area about 30 miles from where her body was found.
Follow The Post’s coverage on Melina Frattolin
- Tragic Melina Frattolin’s dad charged with murder after he reported her missing, as new details hint at possible motive
- Melina Frattolin’s father hid 9-year-old’s body under log after killing her in upstate NY: cops
- Neat-freak alleged Lake George killer dad Luciano Frattolin admitted he struggled with daughter’s ‘messy art,’ ‘chaotic’ toys
- Luciano Frattolin may have been struggling to pay child support while over $200,000 in debt: reports
The child was last seen alive at a Saratoga Springs restaurant with her father around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, police said, citing surveillance video.
She was killed between 7:40 and 9:12 that night, according to the court complaint.
Melina and her dad were vacationing in the Lake George area. Instagram/Luciano Frattolin
Luciano initially lied and claimed Melina had been kidnapped, police say. Wnyt13Frattolin, who was born in Ethiopia, is the founder of a Montreal-based company called Gambella Coffee, according to the company’s website, which has been taken offline in the wake of his arrest.
His corporate bio alluded to a number of hardships he had to overcome, including getting over his “rigid” tendencies, and having to learn to live with Melina’s “messy art projects” and “chaotic” toys because of his obsession for keeping things in “perfect order.”
