GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (WTEN) — The preliminary autopsy results for Melina Frattolin, the 9-year-old girl found dead in Ticonderoga, New York, after being reported missing over the weekend, have been released by New York State Police.
Frattolin, a resident of Montreal, Canada, was initially reported missing by her father, 45-year-old Luciano Frattolin, late Saturday. An AMBER Alert was issued early the next morning. A few hours later, Melina’s body was located in the shallow part of a pond in Ticonderoga. Her father, who has since been charged with murder and the concealment of a human corpse, allegedly hid her body under a log.
Preliminary results from Monday’s autopsy indicated that Frattolin’s cause of death was asphyxia due to drowning. The manner of death was determined to be homicide, the autopsy said. Final determination is pending further laboratory testing.
Luciano Frattolin has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
New York State Police are now asking for the public’s help in tracking the whereabouts of the vehicle he and his daughter traveled in from July 11 to 19. Authorities are specifically looking for additional video evidence and eyewitness accounts of the pair’s 2024 gray Toyota Prius, seen in the photos from authorities below, in the area of the I-87 Northway between exit 28 and exit 20 during the evening hours of Saturday, July 19.
If you have any information, you can contact State Police by calling (518) 873-2750 or emailing crimetip@troopers.ny.gov.
Luciano and Melina legally entered the United States on July 11 for vacation and were expected to return to Canada on Sunday, where she would be returned to the full-time custody of her mother. The father and mother have reportedly been estranged since 2019.
At 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, the 9-year-old girl was seen on video surveillance at a restaurant in Saratoga Springs, police said. About an hour later, Melina reportedly spoke with her mother on the phone to tell her they were on their way back to Canada. According to State Police, she appeared to be in good health and under no duress.
“The investigation has determined, sometime after Melina’s phone call with her mother and before Mr. Frattolin’s 911 call, he allegedly murdered Melina and left her body in a remote area where she was later discovered by law enforcement,” State Police Troop G Captain Robert McConnell said during Monday’s press conference.
On Sunday, troopers said that law enforcement officials involved in the investigation found “inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided.”
When asked about the “inconsistencies” during Monday’s press conference, Captain Robert A. McConnell said that Luciano initially reported that he had pulled over in the area of exit 22 in Lake George to urinate in a wooded area. He said that, when he returned to his car, Melina was missing, with a “suspicious white van” fleeing from the scene.
In a subsequent interview, the father allegedly said that “two unknown males forced” his daughter into a white van. State Police reportedly investigated his claims and found that they were “fabricated.”
Luciano Frattolin is due back in court on Friday.