The father of a nine-year-old girl facing murder charges over her death was spotted running through a hill by a witness after allegedly killing his daughter and hiding her body. 

Melina Frattolin was reported missing on Saturday by her father Luciano Frattolin, who told police his child was abducted by someone in a white van in upstate New York.

Her body was later found underneath a log in a shallow section of a pond near Ticonderoga, having died by drowning. 

State Police say her father, a Canadian CEO, faked the missing report and is facing a second-degree murder charge, as well as concealment of a human corpse. He has pleaded not guilty.

Ticonderoga resident Rebecca Kulickowski had tipped police off after saying she spotted a man she thinks was Luciano sprinting through a hilly section of woodland on Saturday night. 

She told News10: ‘It only caught my eye because as I was driving past the car, I seen a skinny tall guy. And he was running up a hill that he was parked next to and there was wooded area on the bottom of it. 

‘I just didn’t feel right, there was something about him, I don’t know, our eyes locked when I drove by, he looked at me.’

After waking up the next day to an Amber Alert over the disappearance of Melina, she immediately called the cops to explain what she had saw. 

Melina Frattolin was reported missing on Saturday by her father Luciano Frattolin, who told police his child was abducted in upstate New York

Luciano is said to have been spotted running through an uphill area on Saturday night, hours before authorities released an amber alert for his missing daughter

State Police said they had received over 700 tips from the public after the initial alert was issued. 

As part of their investigation, they also released pictures of Luciano’s vehicle, a grey 2024 Toyota Prius, as they asked for help in gathering more evidence.  

Captain Robert McConnell said her father, who lives in Montreal, Canada, killed the girl on Saturday night while they were on vacation close to the picturesque town of Lake George, located in the Adirondacks region of New York.

The father and daughter were both in America legally after starting their vacation on July 11. They were due to return to their native Quebec on Sunday. 

The horror unfolded on Saturday night, when Luciano called the local Warren County Sheriff’s Office claiming that two men in a white van had abducted his daughter.

Police soon became suspicious of Luciano’s story on what happened just before locating her body around 2pm Sunday. 

He is being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility and was spotted in a white prison jumpsuit and shackles while being hauled into Ticonderoga Town Court on Monday. 

Captain McConnell said Frattolin’s mother, who has been estranged from Luciano since 2019, was expecting her daughter to be returned to her home in Montreal on Sunday. 

Police released pictures of Luciano’s vehicle, a grey 2024 Toyota Prius, as they asked for help in gathering more evidence

He is being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility and was spotted in a white prison jumpsuit and shackles while being hauled into Ticonderoga Town Court on Monday

The nine-year-old resided full time with her mother and her father visited without limitations. He also had zero criminal record, McConnell said. 

Surveillance footage from 5.30pm on Sunday showed Frattolin’s final moments as she was seen with her father in Saratoga Springs.

At 6.30pm, she phoned her mother and told her that she and her father were on their way back to Canada.

‘The child appeared to be in good health and did not indicate she was under any duress,’ McConnell said. 

‘The investigation has determined sometime after Melina’s phone call with her mother and sometime before Mr Frattolin’s 911 call, he allegedly murdered Melina and left her body in a remote area where she was later discovered by law enforcement.’

Captain McConnell said Luciano initially told cops that his child was kidnapped on the highway near Lake George when he pulled over to urinate in the woods.

When her body was found, detectives said there was no evidence she was ever abducted, and detectives said there was ‘no threat to the public’

The alleged killer dad said he turned around to find his daughter was no longer in their car, and he saw ‘a suspicious white van’ fleeing the scene.

He later added that ‘two unknown males forced’ Frattolin into the vehicle.

But when her body was found, detectives said there was no evidence she was ever abducted, and detectives said there was ‘no threat to the public.’ 

McConnell expressed his condolences to the family. ‘This is certainly a difficult case and a heartbreaking investigation,’ he said.

Prior to her death, Frattolin’s father gushed about her online, calling her the ‘light of his life’ and sharing pictures and videos of their ‘father daughter’ time.

Luciano is the founder of an organic coffee brand called Gambella, according to the product’s website.

‘Luciano Frattolin is an experienced entrepreneur with a proven track record of building diverse, high-performance businesses,’ the website read.