Luciano Frattolin was arrested after his daughter, Melina Galanis Frattolin, was found dead hours after his apparently bogus kidnapping report. Hours after an apparently bogus kidnapping report from Luciano Frattolin, his nine-year-old daughter was found dead in upstate New York Sunday afternoon, July 20. Melina Galanis Frattolin’s body was found in Ticonderoga, about 30 miles from Lake George, where her father had initially claimed she was last seen.
Luciano has now been arrested in connection to his daughter’s death. Both of them were residents of Canada, according to the New York State Police. While it is unclear if Luciano is currently facing charges, the entrepreneur and founder of Gambella Coffee’s bio on the company’s website claims he was close to Melina.
Gambella Coffee’s website says about Luciano, “Luciano currently spends as much time as he can in Montreal, Canada, with his beautiful daughter Melina. As the light of his life, she is the inspiration for…well, everything. His pursuits for building a more equitable and just world are deeply guided by his determination that she will not have to endure the same social injustices that he encountered throughout his childhood.”
It adds, “Seeing the world through her eyes has also helped Luciano look for creative ways to reinforce and empower Melina to know, feel, and understand her own unique individual beauty and intellect, while also teaching her to celebrate those same virtues inherent in the world’s diversity. On a lighter note, Melina has also taught Luciano to let go of his rigid tendencies to keep everything in “perfect order”—his love for Melina’s messy art projects and chaotic ensemble of toys supersedes his love for a meticulously spotless home.”
Luciano Frattolin’s bogus kidnapping report
After Luciano claimed his daughter may have been abducted, an Amber Alert was issued by authorities citing her “imminent danger” of being harmed or killed. Luciano, 45, called the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and reported his daughter missing, but authorities eventually found “inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided,” according to the state police. The investigation was later turned over to the state police “due to jurisdictional considerations.”
The state police determined that there were no indications of an abduction. The little girl was later found dead.
