Luciano Fratlin has been charged with murdering her nine-year-old daughter, Melina Fratlin, announced July 21 by a New York State Police officer.
The NYSP said in the release that Luciano Frattolin died of a body in upstate New York on July 20 after reporting that she had accused her the night before.
Officials allege Luciano Fratlin murdered his daughter after the pair, who lives in Montreal, traveled to the US for vacation this month.
He is being charged with two-degree murder and cover-up of a human body, and is being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility as he is scheduled for a scheduled arrest Monday morning, police said.
“This is certainly a difficult case and a heartbreaking investigation,” NYSP captain Robert McConnell said at a press conference. “On behalf of the New York State Police and our law enforcement partners, I would like to express our sadness to Melina’s family.”
This is everything we know so far.
Melina Fratlin, who is said to have been murdered by her father, was abandoned in the forest area: official
Luciano and Melina Frattolin entered the United States on July 11 for their leave, officials said.
Police say they plan to return to Canada on July 20th, with Melina living full-time with her mother. Melina’s parents have been alienated since 2019, police said.
On July 19, at about 5:30pm, authorities said Luciano and Melina Flatlin were seen in video surveillance in Saratoga Springs, New York.
At about 6:30pm, the girl spoke to her mother over the phone and told her she and her father were on the route back to Canada, police said.
Authorities say that after Melina spoke to her mother over the phone, he allegedly killed her before Luciano Fratlin reported that she was missing.
Her body was found in a shallow portion of a pond in an area with forests, police said. Her cause of death is pending autopsy results.
Luciano Fratlin reported that his daughter, who allegedly killed her, has gone missing.
Luciano Frattolin reported that her daughter had disappeared on July 19th around 10pm local time.
He told authorities that he and his daughter were driving on I-87 on Lake George. When he returned to the car, his daughter was missing, he told authorities.
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office activates the Amber Alert of the missing girl on the morning of July 20th, noting that she was last seen in a southbound white van on I-87.
Police confirmed that Melinaflatrin was found dead at Ticonderoga, New York, about 100 miles north of Albany on the Vermont border, around 5pm on the Vermont border.
Authorities at the time point noted that they discovered a “contradiction” in the timeline of Luciano Fratlin’s events, adding that “nothing indicates that abortion occurred.”
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office handed over the investigation to state police.
Contributors: James Powell and Kathryn Palmer, USA Today
Melina Kahn is a national trending reporter for USA Today. She can be contacted at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
