Kali Galanis testified that her 9-year-old daughter, Melina, had told her she did not want to travel to her father's homeland of Ethiopia before a July 2025 trip. Melina was later found dead in a shallow pond in upstate New York; an autopsy ruled the cause of death as asphyxia due to drowning and classified it a homicide. Authorities say Melina last spoke to her mother around 6:30 p.m. on July 19 and allege her father, Luciano Frattolin, killed her later that evening before reporting her missing. Luciano was arrested on July 21, 2025, charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse, has pleaded not guilty, and is currently on trial.
Mother Testifies 9-Year-Old Melina Didn’t Want To Travel to Her Father’s Homeland Before She Was Found Dead
Melina Galanis Frattolin (left); Luciano FrattolinCredit: New York State Police; Essex County Jail
Kali Galanis told a court that in the months before her daughter, 9-year-old Melina Frattolin, was found dead during a July 2025 trip with her father, the child had repeatedly said she did not want to travel to his homeland of Ethiopia.
Testimony Details
Galanis testified that Melina told her "she didn't want to go," according to reports from Fox News, WTEN and The Press-Republican. The parents, who met in Ethiopia in 2009 and later lived in Montreal, became estranged in 2019. Galanis has sole custody, she told the court.
Luciano Frattolin, 45, described in court records as a coffee entrepreneur, had said in early 2025 that he wanted to take Melina to Ethiopia. Galanis said she later became aware of "troubling things the defendant said to Melina," which made her uncomfortable. Because Melina and her mother were hesitant about a trip abroad, Luciano agreed instead to take the child on a vacation to New York state.
Timeline of the Trip and Discovery
The father and daughter left for New York on Wednesday, July 11, 2025, and were expected back in Montreal on the evening of Friday, July 19. When they did not return as scheduled, Galanis called and asked to speak with Melina; Luciano told her the child was sleeping. A short time later, Montreal police arrived at Galanis's home in the early hours of July 20, telling her they were investigating "the situation" involving her daughter.
Luciano Frattolin is taken away in custody from the Essex County Court in Elizabethtown, N.Y., on Friday, July 24, 2026.Credit: Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP
Police say Luciano called 911 shortly before 10 p.m. on Friday, July 19, to report his daughter missing and to say he believed she had been abducted while they were visiting Lake George, New York. An Amber Alert was issued on Sunday, July 20, but Melina was found deceased in a shallow pond in Ticonderoga that same day, according to authorities.
Investigation and Charges
Investigators say Melina last spoke with her mother by phone at about 6:30 p.m. on July 19. Authorities allege that Luciano killed Melina sometime after that call and before he reported her missing. An autopsy released by state police found the cause of death to be asphyxia due to drowning and ruled the manner of death a homicide.
On July 21, 2025, Luciano was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse. He pleaded not guilty. In opening statements, Essex County Assistant District Attorney Carrie Daly told the court the prosecution intends to show that prosecutors believe Luciano drowned Melina and concealed her body.
The criminal trial began on Thursday, July 23 (court records and media reporting list related proceedings in July 2026), and is expected to continue for several weeks. Prosecutors say they found inconsistencies in the timeline and in Luciano's account of events; the defense has denied the allegations.
Note: This article reports allegations and testimony presented in court. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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