Montreal Father Charged After Tragic Death of 9-Year-Old Daughter in New York
It's the kind of story that just stops you in your tracks — shocking, heartbreaking, and almost impossible to fully grasp. Luciano Frattolin, a 45-year-old father from Montreal, has been charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a corpse after the body of his 9-year-old daughter, Melina Frattolin, was found in a shallow pond in Upstate New York.
According to authorities, the father and daughter had traveled to the U.S. on what was supposed to be a summer vacation. Their trip took them through Connecticut and New York City before they reached Lake George in Upstate New York. Melina was scheduled to return to Montreal on Sunday to be back with her mother, with whom she lived full-time. But that never happened.
On Saturday night, just before 10 p.m., New York State Police received a distressing call from Frattolin. He reported his daughter missing, claiming she had vanished near Exit 22 on Interstate 87. His story was that he had briefly stepped into the woods to relieve himself and returned to find her gone. He also claimed to have seen a suspicious white van fleeing the scene, even describing two unknown men who supposedly abducted her. But police say that version of events was thoroughly investigated and proven false.
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By Sunday morning, the case had turned far more grim. An organized search led officers to a wooded area near Ticonderoga — about 50 km northeast of Lake George — where Melina's body was discovered in a pond. Her exact cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy, but what’s clear is that this was no tragic accident.
Police also confirmed that Frattolin had no prior criminal record, and there were no known mental health issues on file. Since 2019, he and Melina’s mother had been estranged, with Melina living full-time with her mom while her father visited occasionally.
What makes this even more devastating is the public persona Frattolin presented. On his coffee import business website, Gambella Coffee, he referred to Melina as the light of his life, saying she inspired everything he did. That same website even mentioned a difficult time he went through in 2019, suggesting Melina had helped pull him through.
To think a child who was supposed to be a beacon of hope, love, and healing for her father could end up a victim in such a way is nearly unbearable. As details continue to unfold, this case is not just about a shocking crime — it’s about trust broken, a young life lost too soon, and the haunting question: how could this have happened?
This story will undoubtedly leave a deep scar on both sides of the border — especially in Montreal, where Melina’s community is now grieving a loss they never could have imagined.
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