Father charged in Lake George, N.Y. Amber Alert case pleads not guilty
A father charged in the murder of his 9-year-old daughter after prompting an Amber Alert in Lake George
By Renee Anderson
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NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — A father charged in the murder of his 9-year-old daughter after prompting an Amber Alert in Lake George, New York appeared before a judge on Wednesday.
Luciano Frattolin, 45, of Canada, is accused of falsely reporting that his daughter, Melina, went missing while they were visiting Lake George earlier this month. He was arraigned on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to one count each of second-degree murder and concealment of a corpse.
The judge denied bail and remanded Frattolin to the Essex County jail. He is due back in court on Aug. 19.
Amber Alert for Melina Frattolin canceled
Luciano Frattolin’s story led New York State Police to issue an Amber Alert on July 20, but investigators later said there were inconsistencies with his account.
He initially told police he was pulled over in a parking lot to urinate and, while he was away from the car, Melina was abducted by two men in a white van, state police said.
The girl’s body was discovered the next day in a pond about 30 miles north of Lake George in Ticonderoga. A later autopsy determined that her death was a homicide and she died of asphyxiation due to drowning.
Her father was arrested that same day. Police said he does not have a criminal record or a background of domestic violence.
Melina lived with her mother in Montreal, and her parents had been estranged since 2019. She and her father traveled to the U.S. from Montreal for vacation on July 11 and were supposed to return home on July 19, the day before she was reported missing.
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