A father from Montreal faces murder charges after his daughter was discovered dead in an upstate New York pond

Police claim that a guy from Montreal killed his daughter while on vacation and then staged a fictitious kidnapping close to Lake George.

Days after he claimed his 9-year-old daughter had been kidnapped, her body was found in an upstate New York pond, leading to a 45-year-old Canadian man being charged with murder.

New York State Police stated that Luciano Frattolin of Montreal was charged with second-degree murder and concealing of a human corpse on Monday in relation to the death of his daughter, Melina Frattolin. On his behalf, a not guilty plea was entered.

Frattolin first contacted 911 on Saturday night, according to police, to tell that Melina had been kidnapped close to a parking lot beside Lake George, a well-known Adirondacks tourist town. As search teams gathered throughout the area, an Amber Alert was issued.

Investigators quickly discovered contradictions in his account, however.

According to State Police Capt. Robert McConnell, “he then reports two unknown males forced her into a white van during a subsequent interview.” “That lead was thoroughly examined and found to be false.”

Around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, a father and daughter were seen together in Saratoga Springs on surveillance film. According to the police, Melina also called her mother an hour later and sounded composed, suggesting that she was not under any coercion. Authorities now think the girl was murdered before Frattolin called 911 and soon after that call.

Melina’s body was found on Sunday in the shallow waters of a rural pond in Ticonderoga, which is about 30 miles north of Lake George. According to the police, her body was partially hidden beneath a log.

There is a pending autopsy.

Frattolin was due back in Montreal that weekend after spending the previous eleven days on vacation in the United States with his daughter. Melina resided with her mother in Montreal, according to the police, and the two had been at odds since 2019. Frattolin had no history of domestic abuse or criminal activity.

He had openly referred to himself as a “loving father” on social media, and he had once referred to Melina as “the light of his life” on the website of a coffee company he started.

Requests for comment from the media were not answered by Frattolin’s court-appointed public attorney.