What Happened to Melina Frattolin? The Little Girl Was Reported Missing From Lake George

A 9-year-old Canadian girl, Melina Frattolin, was reported missing from Lake George in upstate New York on July 19 by her father, Luciano Frattolin.

According to ABC News, her father claimed that Melina had been kidnapped by a man who was driving a white van on I-87 near exit 22. The New York State Police issued an Amber Alert the following day, but is that really what happened to Melina Frattolin?

Melina Frattolin was reported missing from Lake George in upstate New York by her father, Luciano Frattolin. The little girl was found deceased the following day near the Vermont border in Ticonderoga, N.Y., about 15 miles away from Lake George, and her father was arrested, per The New York Post. Luciano had claimed that his daughter was kidnapped by a man who was driving a white van, but the police found holes in his story. The little girl's body was reportedly found in shallow water.

A search was conducted by the Ticonderoga Police Department, the New York State Police K-9 and aviation units, the Essex and Warren County sheriff's offices, the New York State Park Rangers, and the New York State Department of Conservation after an Amber Alert was put out following Melina's disappearance.

"As the case progressed, law enforcement identified inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided," read a statement from the N.Y. State Police. “At this time, there is no indication that an abduction occurred, and there is no threat to the public."

Luciano was arrested and booked into Essex County Jail just after 2 a.m. The father was charged with second-degree murder and disposal of a body. He had reportedly been on vacation in the U.S. with his daughter, and they had visited several places in New York as well as Connecticut. The father and daughter were seen in Saratoga Springs at approximately 5:30 p.m. on the day she was reported missing.

Melina called her mother in Canada at approximately 6:30 p.m. just before she was supposed to fly back to Quebec, and the authorities believe that she was killed shortly after. Luciano and Melina's mother had been separated since 2019, and the little girl lived with her mother, who told the police that she had no concerns about her daughter's safety while with her dad. Luciano had no prior domestic violence reports or criminal history, and the motive for her death is still under investigation.

James McCartney, the Police Benevolent Association of New York State President, released a statement about Melina's killing, per NBC5.

"The PBA of New York State is extremely saddened to learn of the death of Melina Galanis Frattolin, the 9-year-old girl reported missing in Lake George the evening of July 19, 2025. Our PBA-member New York State Forest Rangers coordinated the search for Melina."

"During this process, a NYSDEC Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO), also a PBA member, discovered the girl’s body while participating in a grid search in the Ticonderoga area. The PBA of New York State sends our deepest condolences to the family of Melina Galanis Frattolin. Our thoughts are also with our member Forest Rangers and ECOs dealing with the grief of this horrific tragedy."

Luciano is the founder of Gambella Coffee in Montreal. On his website, he described his daughter as “the light of his life,” and the “inspiration for … well, everything.”

More details of his daughter's death were unavailable, and an autopsy is pending.