Nine-year-old Melina Frattolin had expressed her desire not to travel with her father, Luciano Frattolin, just months before she was found dead, her mother testified Tuesday in a New Jersey murder trial.
Kali Galanis told jurors that Frattolin, 45, had wanted to take Melina to his native Ethiopia for two weeks in January 2025. However, their daughter stated that she "didn't want to go," according to reports.
Galanis also testified that she had grown concerned about Frattolin's overseas travel plans with Melina, citing cases where estranged spouses abscond with children to other countries. The mother noted "troubling and alarming things" the girl had relayed about her father's insistence on the trip, which led Galanis to deny permission.
After Galanis informed Frattolin of her decision, he then suggested a trip to New York instead. Galanis agreed, and in July 2025, Frattolin, who resides in Montreal, took Melina on a trip through the Northeastern United States.
Melina's remains were discovered on July 19, 2025, hidden beneath a log in a remote pond in Ticonderoga, New York, after the pair were scheduled to return home. Frattolin, the founder of the organic coffee brand Gambella, faces charges of second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse.
Prosecutors allege that Frattolin orchestrated the trip to the U.S. as a means to kill Melina and avoid paying child support. They also stated that Frattolin believed both Galanis and Melina suffered from mental illness and had been planning to end their suffering since early 2025.
Frattolin has pleaded not guilty. His defense asserts that the girl was kidnapped that night, as Frattolin initially claimed. He had contacted authorities around 9:30 p.m. on July 19, 2025, from Lake George, New York, reporting that Melina had been forced into a white van and that he had pursued it before stopping to make the call.
This report initiated an extensive search for Melina. Initially, Frattolin cooperated with investigators, allowing them to search his vehicle, cell phone, and Melina's phone. However, prosecutors contend that Frattolin altered his account as new evidence emerged. Investigators noted that a drive to the alleged abduction site took hours, with Frattolin repeatedly misdirecting officers. His cellphone and vehicle data placed him in areas where he stayed for extended periods, during which he claimed they were looking for a place to hike or swim.
Investigators also noted Frattolin's explanation that he could not access his phone immediately after the alleged abduction because it fell between the car seats. However, prosecutors presented evidence of texts from Frattolin to Galanis stating Melina would be home in 10 minutes. Galanis had been tracking her daughter's phone, but lost access after Melina and Frattolin stopped at a McDonald's in Saratoga Springs earlier that evening. This location was the last place Melina's phone showed activity.
Video footage from the McDonald's allegedly showed Frattolin wearing different clothing than what he wore after reporting his daughter missing. Officers later found his wet clothes and shoes in a garbage bag off Interstate 87.
When questioned about Melina's disappearance, Frattolin admitted it would have been easier to murder her overseas, such as in Italy or Ethiopia, according to testimony from New York State Police investigator Daniel Mauro. Frattolin's defense plans to argue that language barriers between Frattolin, who held dual citizenship with Ethiopia and Italy, and the police hindered the investigation. The defense also claims police delayed issuing an Amber Alert, interrogated Frattolin for hours, misled him about evidence, and threatened him with violence, while failing to investigate other possibilities.
"Luciano fully cooperated with law enforcement," stated Warren County Assigned Counsel Administrator Brian Pilatzke, describing Frattolin as a loving father who "begged them to find his daughter." Pilatzke argued that Frattolin must be acquitted if the prosecution cannot prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.