Dad in jail after his daughter is found dead in Upstate NY; he had told police she was abducted

Ticonderoga, N.Y. — The father of a 9-year-old girl who was found dead after being reported abducted Saturday evening in Upstate New York is now in custody, authorities said.

Luciano Frattolin, 45, is being held in the Essex County Jail where he is awaiting arraignment, according to arrest records.

Frattolin’s daughter — Melina Frattolin — was originally reported abducted Saturday in Lake George and last seen in a van near Exit 22 (Lake George Village) on the Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87), according to a news release Sunday from Trooper Stephanie O’Neil, a spokesperson for the State Police.

She was later found dead in the town of Ticonderoga in Essex County, O’Neil said. That’s about an hour north of where she was reported abducted.

Luciano Frattolin had called 911 at about 10 p.m. Saturday to report his daughter had been abducted, O’Neil said.

An AMBER Alert was issued for Melina hours later at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. It said the child “was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious bodily harm and/or death.”

The Warren County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case before the State Police took over. Law enforcement identified “inconsistencies” in Luciano Frattolin’s account of events and the timeline he provided, O’Neil said.

A state Department of Environmental Conservation’s officer found Melina’s body during a grid search in the Ticonderoga area, according to a news release from James McCartney, the president of the Police Benevolent Association of New York State, the union that represents DEC officers.

There is no indication that an abduction occurred, O’Neil said, and there is no threat to the public.

O’Neil said officials plan to hold a news conference Monday to provide more information about the case.

Melina and her father, 45, are both Canadian nationals, O’Neil said.