Timeline of events in the death of Melina Frattolin
The nine-year-old’s body was discovered after her father, who has since been charged with second-degree murder, claimed she was kidnapped.
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Montreal businessman Luciano Frattolin has been charged with the murder of his nine-year-old daughter, Melina, after he claimed that she was kidnapped while on vacation in New York state.
Here is a timeline of the events leading up to his arrest.
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Friday, July 11, 2025
According to New York State Police investigators, Luciano Frattolin and his nine-year-old daughter Melina, both residents of Montreal, legally entered the United States for the purpose of a vacation. They were expected to return to Canada on Saturday, July 19, at which point Melina would be returned to the custody of her mother in Montreal. Police said the mother and Frattolin had been estranged since 2019.
Saturday, July 19, 2025
5:30 p.m.: Frattolin and his daughter are seen on video surveillance cameras in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
6:30 p.m.: Authorities say Melina called her mother to say they were returning to Canada.
10 p.m.: The Warren County 911 call centre receives a call from Frattolin reporting his daughter as missing and claiming the disappearance may have involved an abduction at Exit 22 of the I-87 Highway. Frattolin said he had pulled over to urinate in a wooded area and when he returned his daughter was gone. An investigation is immediately launched and an Amber alert issued.
The Amber alert said the girl was last seen at about 9:40 p.m. Saturday in a white van and includes her physical description.
Sunday, July 20, 2025
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office initially led the investigation, with law enforcement reporting inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided. Police would say later that while Frattolin initially claimed he saw a white van heading south after his daughter disappeared, he later said he saw two men forcing her into a van.
On Sunday morning, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, Ticonderoga Police Department, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Forest Rangers, and New York State Police K9 and Aviation units, undertake a search in the town of Ticonderoga “in an area Mr. Frattolin was suspected of having visited.”
At about 10:50 a.m., searchers found the girl’s body in shallow pond. An autopsy is scheduled to be performed Monday.
The case is handed over the New York State Police. It was established there was no indication that an abduction occurred.
By the end of the day Frattolin is taken into custody pending a court appearance Monday morning.
Monday, July 21, 2025
Frattolin is charged with second degree murder as well as concealing a body in connection with his daughter’s death.
The website of a coffee company Frattolin is affiliated with, Gambella Coffee, is made inaccessible.
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