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Father Accused of Drowning Daughter in NY Trial
29 Jul
Summary
- Melina's mother testified she feared travel to Ethiopia.
- The girl was found dead in a shallow New York pond.
- The father faces murder and corpse concealment charges.
The trial of a father accused of drowning his daughter, Melina Frattolin, began on July 23, 2026. Melina's body was discovered in a shallow pond in Ticonderoga, New York, in July 2025, during a vacation with her father. Her mother testified that Melina had expressed reluctance to travel to Ethiopia with her father prior to the New York trip.
Authorities allege that the father, who met Melina's mother in Ethiopia and shares custody of their daughter, killed Melina sometime between her last phone call with her mother on July 19, 2025, and when he reported her missing. He reportedly concealed her body with a large rock.
The father was arrested on July 21, 2025, and charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse. He has pleaded not guilty to these charges. The autopsy confirmed Melina's cause of death as asphyxia due to drowning, ruled as homicide. The trial is expected to continue for several weeks.
