MONTREAL – On a pleasant July day in 2025, a tragic sequence of events unfolded as Luciano Frattolin and his nine-year-old daughter, Melina, traveled through the United States. Melina was expected to return home to Montreal that evening, but she never arrived. Her father reported her missing, and her body was discovered in a marsh in rural New York just hours later.

On August 10, 2026, Frattolin was found guilty of the murder of his daughter and of concealing her corpse, marking a somber conclusion to the three-week trial that revealed the events leading up to her death.

According to the jury, a timeline of Frattolin's actions on July 19, 2025, illustrates the chilling final hours of Melina's life. At 4:30 p.m., Frattolin and Melina parked at a McDonald's in Saratoga Springs, New York, approximately 300 kilometers north of New York City. Before their arrival, Melina had sent her mother, Kali Galanis, a text indicating they would reach Montreal by 6:15 p.m. and excitedly shared plans she had made with a friend. Moments before getting to the fast-food restaurant, she sent her mother a video, cheerfully playing with her hair.

Surveillance footage revealed a seemingly happy moment as Melina skipped across the parking lot alongside her father. However, police discovered troubling notes in the car that mentioned "taking Melina to end" and "ending her suffering." At 4:35 p.m., they ordered food, with Frattolin playfully interacting with his daughter as she engrossed herself in mobile games while eating fries. Melina was wearing a distinct outfit: pink shorts and a black-and-white striped shirt, the same clothes she would later be found in.

By 5:30 p.m., the duo left the McDonald's parking lot, setting out for Montreal. Just a minute later, Melina was recorded using her phone for the final time. At 6:30 p.m., she spoke with Galanis via Frattolin's phone and appeared to be at ease, according to the police report. Shortly thereafter, Frattolin exited the northbound interstate toward Schroon Lake, a significant body of water in the Adirondacks, returning to the interstate less than 30 minutes later, heading south, away from Montreal.

During a concerning series of exits and re-entries onto the interstate, Frattolin drove alongside various bodies of water, often slowing down or stopping. While the defense argued that Frattolin was searching for a swimming spot for Melina, the prosecution contended he was scouting potential locations to drown her. By 7:25 p.m., he departed the interstate again, this time heading towards Ticonderoga, New York, where he parked at a pull-off near a hiking trail for nearly an hour. Frattolin later claimed they had attempted to hike towards the water but were obstructed by houses, contradicted by investigators who noted no houses existed in that area.

Melina's body was discovered the following day in a marsh close to the parking area, partially concealed by a fallen tree and with a rock placed on her chest. The autopsy confirmed her cause of death as asphyxia due to drowning.

As the night unfolded, communications between Melina's parents dwindled. At 8:42 p.m., Galanis texted Frattolin inquiring about their arrival time. When he failed to respond, she called several times, but Frattolin rejected her third call. Moments later, she texted Melina, urging her to call. At 8:54 p.m., Frattolin sent a misleading text claiming he was on his way, stating they would arrive in 20 minutes despite being over two hours away from Montreal. He then conveyed to Galanis that Melina was sleeping.

Before driving away from the area, Frattolin conducted a Google Maps search for "Melina" at 8:55 p.m. He continued southbound on the interstate, where he slowed down at one point to dispose of a garbage bag containing muddy clothing he had worn earlier that day. His claims escalated as he eventually reported an abduction at 10 p.m. to 911, alleging Melina had been kidnapped by two men in a white van.

In stark contrast to his narrative, speed data showed Frattolin's car had been traveling under the speed limit. Eventually, Galanis expressed her concern when Frattolin did not respond to her messages, remaining unaware of the tragedy that had struck their family. The distressing realization arrived the next day when she learned that her daughter had been found deceased.

This somber case not only highlights the grief of a mother who lost her child but also the distressing circumstances surrounding the events leading to the tragedy.