A Montreal man did not plead guilty on Wednesday for the murder of her 9-year-old daughter after claiming she was kidnapped while on vacation in New York.
Luciano Frattolin, 45, was indicted on Tuesday on charges of killing and hidden a corpse, but has maintained his innocence.
He reported his daughter, Melina Frattolin, missed on July 19. He told the authorities Melina disappeared from a parking lot near Lake George in the Adirondack region.
An Amber Alert was issued and a search with several agencies that included K-9 and aviation units were launched to find the little girl.
Frattolin then told authorities that two men forced their daughter to a white van, the New York State Police said. But he was the one who was arrested after police found discrepancies in his story and concluded that there was no kidnapping.
The independent has reached the New York State Police and Essex County Attorney for comment.
Melina’s body was found in the shallow water in a pond from a State Motorway in Ticonderoga on July 20, the authorities said. Her body was hidden with a cliff near a fallen tree according to the indictment.
New York State Police said the girl had drowned.
Frattolin was suspected of visiting the area of the murder, the state police captain Robert McConnell said earlier. McConnell said Frattolin had no previous criminal history.
Frattolin and Melina arrived in the United States on July 11, according to McConnell. They visited Connecticut and New York, including New York City.
Authorities believe Melina was killed on July 19, the day she should return to her mother in Montreal. Authorities say Frattolin, born in Ethiopia, lived in Montreal.
Frattolin and Melina’s mother have been alienated for years, and the girl lived full time with her mother, according to police.
McConnell said Melina’s mother knew about the planned holiday and was no concern for her daughter’s safety.
At Court on Wednesday, a judge ordered Frattolin to be held without a bail.
Associated Press contributed reporting.