Horrific cause of death for Melina Frattolin revealed after nine year-old was ‘murdered by her father’

The nine-year-old who was found dead hours after her father claimed she was kidnapped died from asphyxia due to drowning, according to her autopsy report.

Melina Frattolin was reported missing Saturday after her father, Luciano Fratollin, told New York State Police he thought his child was abducted by someone in a white van in upstate New York. 

Authorities issued an AMBER alert at the time, prompting a desperate search for her, as cops said she was believed to be in ‘imminent danger’ at the time. 

But on Sunday, police shared the heartbreaking update that the little girl was found dead in the shallow portion of a pond near the town of Ticonderoga, about 45 miles from where her father said she was last seen. 

Her father was then arrested after police said that ‘as the case progressed, law enforcement identified inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided.’

Melina Frattolin, nine, died from asphyxia due to drowning, according to her autopsy report

This is breaking news. Updates to follow.