MONTREAL — The father of a nine-year-old Montreal girl who was found drowned in a pond in Upstate New York has been indicted by a grand jury and will stand trial for murder.
Luciano Frattolin appeared Wednesday in Essex County court in Elizabethtown, N.Y., where he pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and the concealment of a human corpse. He asked for bail but was denied.
The body of Melina Frattolin, 9, was found in a shallow pond on July 20 in Ticonderoga, N.Y., by the Vermont boundary. New York State Police have said Frattolin, 45, originally reported his daughter missing and potentially abducted, but officers determined the story to be false. They arrested him for the child's murder on July 21.
Judge Tatiana Coffinger ordered him remanded without bail, saying her decision "is the only way to guarantee his attendance here in court."
"I can't guarantee his return."
A spokeswoman for the district attorney confirmed that Frattolin's case was presented to a grand jury, which returned a true bill of indictment. The case will return to court on Aug. 19 when prosecutors are expected to provide an update on evidence disclosure.
During the hearing Wednesday, Michael Langey, Essex County district attorney, said Frattolin was a flight risk with no ties to the United States. The accused is a citizen in Italy and Ethiopia, he said, and holds passports for both countries, as well as an international driver's licence. Frattolin has residences in Canada and Ethiopia, and owns businesses in those two countries, Langey noted.
Emily Evatt, Frattolin's public defender, told the court that her client does not have an Ethiopian passport.
Langey alleged that Frattolin had bid on a $5-million property in Montreal and had shown a real estate agent a $30-million bank account statement. The accused was also reportedly trying to sell a mining operation, Langey said.
"Given his lack of ties to our country and to the state, the possible life sentence that he is now facing, the people would ask that he be remanded without bail," Langey said. "It is the people's opinion that no amount of money would ensure that he would return, given his lack of ties."
Evatt, however, said her client has no criminal history and that pending trial he would stay with a friend in New York City, nearly 430 kilometres south. She said he should receive bail and be required to give up his Italian passport and subject himself to electronic monitoring.
"He has no reason to run from these allegations, he maintains his innocence and is innocent until proven guilty," Evatt told the court.
Ultimately, Coffinger said there was too much unknown about the accused to release him.
According to the indictment, Frattolin allegedly drowned his daughter in a pond sometime between 7:35 p.m. and 9:05 p.m. on July 19 in wooded area just off Route 74. He is also accused of trying to conceal her body: the indictment says she was found in the water, near a fallen tree, with a rock on top of her body.
Preliminary autopsy results concluded the girl died from asphyxia due to drowning, and the death was ruled a homicide.
Frattolin and Melina's mother have been estranged since 2019. Melina lived full time with her mother, who had not expressed concerns about letting her daughter spend time with her father, police said.
Melina and her father entered the United States on July 11 for a vacation to New York and Connecticut and were due back in Montreal on July 20. Police have said the motive for the girl's death is under investigation.
On the day she died, Melina spoke with her mother over the phone at about 6:30 p.m. and did not appear to be under duress, police said. About three-and-a-half hours later, Frattolin called 911 and reported his nine-year-old daughter missing and possibly abducted. But as the case progressed, officers identified alleged inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline of Melina’s disappearance.
On Wednesday, Coffinger set a number of case management dates in the coming months, with a jury trial tentatively set for Jan. 5, 2026.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025.
Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press
