The cause of death of a 9-year-old girl from Canada whose body was found in a pond in upstate New York has been revealed as her father has been charged with her murder. Luciano Frattolin, 45, of Montreal, had initially claimed his daughter, Melina Frattolin, had been abducted. He has now been charged with second-degree murder and concealing the corpse of his daughter. He has pleaded not guilty ahead of a court appearance on Friday. On Tuesday, New York State Police said a preliminary autopsy concluded the cause of death was “asphyxia due to drowning,” and called the manner of death a homicide. A final determination and report are pending further laboratory testing, a statement added. According to cops, Frattolin had falsely reported that his daughter had been abducted by two men who had forced her into a van. Investigators detected inconsistencies in Mr Frattolin’s timeline of events, leading them to believe there had been no abduction. Melina’s body was found in a shallow part of a pond, hidden under a log. The father and daughter had been on holiday in the U.S. since July 11, according to police. Melina lived with her mother in Montreal, who had been estranged from Luciano for six years. The investigation is continuing, with police requesting video footage or eyewitness accounts about the movements of Melina and her father between July 11 and 19.
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