MONTREAL — A nine-year-old Montreal girl whose body was found in a shallow pond in Upstate New York on the weekend died from asphyxia due to drowning, New York State Police said Tuesday as they continued their homicide investigation. Police released autopsy results for Melina Frattolin after a forensic pathologist at Glens Falls Hospital in Glens Falls, N.Y.
, determined the manner of death was homicide. Her father, Luciano Frattolin, 45, a resident of Montreal, is facing charges in New York state of second-degree murder and the concealment of a human corpse. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf during an initial court appearance on Monday.
Police said the body of his daughter was found on Sunday in Ticonderoga, N.Y., about 50 kilometres northeast of Lake George near the New York-Vermont boundary.
Police have said the motive for the girl's death is under investigation. They have also said Frattolin has no criminal or domestic violence history. Frattolin and Melina's mother had 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. On Tuesday, they asked the public for help in the case, releasing photos of a grey 2024 Toyota Prius used by Frattolin and his daughter during their stay in the United States. Police specifically were looking for video or eyewitness accounts on the evening of July 19.
Melina spoke with her mother over the phone at about 6:30 p.m. on.
