logo
Dad claims daughter, 9, 'abducted in white van' before sinister twist

Dad claims daughter, 9, 'abducted in white van' before sinister twist

Daily Mirror7 days ago
Melina Galanis Frattolin, nine, was found dead after her dad claimed she was 'abducted by a white van' - but police have since 'identified inconsistencies' in his timeline
A missing nine-year-old girl has tragically been found dead as police say her father's timeline of events has "inconsistencies".

Police had launched a desperate search for Melina Galanis Frattolin, who her father claimed was abducted in a white van, but shared a heartbreaking update less than 24 hours later. An "amber alert" was issued on Sunday to alert locals around the Lake George of New York about her disappearance. New York State Police said they received a call from her dad Luciano Frattolin, 45, saying his daughter has possibly been kidnapped. Cops have since said they tragically found Melina's dead body in Ticonderoga, around 40 miles north of Lake George.


In the heartbreaking update, The New York State Police said: "At this time, there is no indication that an abduction occurred, and there is no threat to the public."
The nine-year-old had been reported missing in the area of Exit 22 in Lake George by her dad, both Canadian residents, just before 10pm on Saturday.
The New York State Police said: "The Warren County Sheriff's Office initially led the investigation. As the case progressed, law enforcement identified inconsistencies in the father's account of events and the timeline he provided."

In his initial report to police, the dad said Melina was last seen at around 9.40pm and was snatched away in a white van. Melina was described as 5ft tall, weighing 100 pounds and being of Indian descent with brown hair and brown eyes.
In the initial police statement, before the nine-year-old was found dead, cops said: "The child was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious bodily harm and/or death."

Officials have not revealed if anybody has been charged in this case. The NYSP said they will hold a conference on Monday with more information about Melina's tragic death. Her father is the founder of an organic coffee brand called Gambella, according to the company's website.
The website said: "Luciano Frattolin is an experienced entrepreneur with a proven track record of building diverse, high-performance businesses.
"With a background in the humanities and social sciences, his formal education, together with his pragmatic understanding about the complexities of life, motivates him to maintain an understanding of the world grounded in a distinct cross-cultural ethos.
"The son of an Ethiopian mother and an Italian father, Luciano was born in the small, remote village of Gambella. With a childhood spent running between rows of crimson coffee buds on the Ethiopian family plantation, and the neoclassical architecture of his father's Milano, his vision of the world and his pursuits within, reflect these hyphenated cultures."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

More protests held outside migrant hotels across UK as anger over crisis continues to rise
More protests held outside migrant hotels across UK as anger over crisis continues to rise

Scottish Sun

time3 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

More protests held outside migrant hotels across UK as anger over crisis continues to rise

Hundreds clashed outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex HOTELS STAND-OFF More protests held outside migrant hotels across UK as anger over crisis continues to rise MORE protests have been held outside migrant hotels across the country yesterday as anger over the issue continues to rise. Another demonstration was held nearby to the Brittania International Hotel in Canary Wharf, East London — which had been revealed earlier this week to be set to house asylum-seekers. Advertisement 4 Further protests have been held outside migrant hotels across the UK Credit: Gary Stone 4 A man is held by cops during the demonstration by The Bell Hotel, Epping Credit: LNP 4 The two groups of protesters in Epping face off against each other Credit: PA The large group of various ethnicities held a banner saying: 'Stop calling us far right. "Protect our women and children.' Meanwhile, rival groups clashed outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. Around 300 anti-migrant protesters had been kept in one fenced-off pen while around 500 in the pro-migrant group were in another, with cops between them. Advertisement Around 500 officers from 31 forces across England and Wales attended — with three arrests reported by Essex Police, including a woman on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence. It was the latest incident in Epping since Ethiopian asylum-seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was accused of sexual assault. He has denied three charges. Elsewhere, around 250 protested near the Brook Hotel in Norwich, while more than 200 stood outside a migrant hotel in Altrincham, Gtr Manchester. Advertisement Other gatherings over the weekend have been reported in Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Leeds. Migrant hotel protests spread across the country with more planned today as cops clamp down on weekend of stand-offs 4 A demonstration was held nearby to the Brittania International Hotel in Canary Wharf, East London Credit: Gary Stone Four in 10 sex attack charges non-Brits Exclusive by Jack Elsom NEARLY four in ten people charged over sex attacks in London in the last seven years are foreign nationals, police figures show. Non-Brits are thought to be behind 2,809 out of 7,798 such crimes — 36 per cent — but make up less than a quarter of the city's population. A further 358 charged are of unknown nationality, meaning the foreigner total may be higher. Brits accounted for 4,631 charges. The largest cohort of foreign suspects were Romanian at 308, but Afghans are the most prolific by share of population at 89. The Centre for Migration Control obtained figures on nationalities of those charged with sex offences since 2018. It said: 'The spike in sexual offences against women and girls is directly attributable to our open borders.' The Home Office said: 'We continue to deport foreign nationals who commit heinous crimes in the UK.'

Mother of Air India crash victim ‘heartbroken' after remains wrongly identified
Mother of Air India crash victim ‘heartbroken' after remains wrongly identified

North Wales Chronicle

time10 hours ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

Mother of Air India crash victim ‘heartbroken' after remains wrongly identified

The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, killing 241 people on board. Some 169 Indian passengers and 52 British nationals were killed, making it one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British fatalities. Among the British victims were Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, 39, and his husband Jamie, 45, who had been returning to Britain after celebrating their wedding anniversary in India. Mr Greenlaw-Meek's mother, Amanda Donaghey, told The Sunday Times she flew to India after the crash in order to find her son's remains, providing a DNA sample at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital to assist the identification process. Following a match on June 20 last year, she returned to the UK with Mr Greenlaw-Meek's coffin. But on July 5, as Mr Greenlaw-Meek and his husband's families prepared to bury the married couple together, police told Ms Donaghey that DNA tests carried out in the UK showed Mr Greenlaw-Meek's remains were not in the coffin. 'We don't know what poor person is in that casket,' she told The Sunday Times. 'I had my doubts but to be told that was heartbreaking. 'This is an appalling thing to have happened,' she added. 'And we would now like the British Gvernment to do everything in its power to find out, and bring Fiongal home.' It was revealed last week the coffin of another repatriated British victim, 71-year-old Shobhana Patel, contained remains of multiple people, The Sunday Times reported. Mrs Patel was killed alongside her husband Ashok, 74, as they returned to the UK from a Hindu religious trip. Their son Miten Patel told The Sunday Times: 'There may have been a mistake done. 'But for religious reasons we need to make sure my mother is my mother and not somebody else's remains. 'Knowing 100% that it is my mum is very important to us.' Shobhana and Ashok Patel were laid to rest last week, The Sunday Times said. International aviation lawyer James Healey-Pratt, whose firm Keystone Law is representing families of victims of the Air India crash, has told Times Radio the identification issues have raised concerns over the total number of victims whose identities may have been misattributed. 'We know that 12 caskets were repatriated from India to the UK,' he said. 'Of those 12, two had been mishandled, misidentified. 'And so if you extrapolate that sample, you're looking at 40 mishandled remains out of 240. 'So that's a very large number, but we simply don't know. 'And to date, the Indian authorities have not been transparent or helpful about that, which is why there was pressure put on by the families to the FCO and the Prime Minister's office. 'And this was actually mentioned in the meeting at Chequers between Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Modi on Thursday. 'So the families are waiting to hear, first thing next week, about what actions are really being done in India to provide some degree of assurance.' It is understood no blame is being put on any UK agency for the blunders, Mr Healy-Pratt previously told the PA news agency. The only surviving passenger on the plane was Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who previously told The Sun it was a 'miracle' he was alive but felt 'terrible' he could not save his brother Ajay. A preliminary report into the incident from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found both of the plane's fuel switches moved to the 'cut-off' position 'immediately' after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine. It has sparked questions over whether the crash was deliberate.

Mother of Air India crash victim ‘heartbroken' after remains wrongly identified
Mother of Air India crash victim ‘heartbroken' after remains wrongly identified

South Wales Guardian

time10 hours ago

  • South Wales Guardian

Mother of Air India crash victim ‘heartbroken' after remains wrongly identified

The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, killing 241 people on board. Some 169 Indian passengers and 52 British nationals were killed, making it one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British fatalities. Among the British victims were Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, 39, and his husband Jamie, 45, who had been returning to Britain after celebrating their wedding anniversary in India. Mr Greenlaw-Meek's mother, Amanda Donaghey, told The Sunday Times she flew to India after the crash in order to find her son's remains, providing a DNA sample at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital to assist the identification process. Following a match on June 20 last year, she returned to the UK with Mr Greenlaw-Meek's coffin. But on July 5, as Mr Greenlaw-Meek and his husband's families prepared to bury the married couple together, police told Ms Donaghey that DNA tests carried out in the UK showed Mr Greenlaw-Meek's remains were not in the coffin. 'We don't know what poor person is in that casket,' she told The Sunday Times. 'I had my doubts but to be told that was heartbreaking. 'This is an appalling thing to have happened,' she added. 'And we would now like the British Gvernment to do everything in its power to find out, and bring Fiongal home.' It was revealed last week the coffin of another repatriated British victim, 71-year-old Shobhana Patel, contained remains of multiple people, The Sunday Times reported. Mrs Patel was killed alongside her husband Ashok, 74, as they returned to the UK from a Hindu religious trip. Their son Miten Patel told The Sunday Times: 'There may have been a mistake done. 'But for religious reasons we need to make sure my mother is my mother and not somebody else's remains. 'Knowing 100% that it is my mum is very important to us.' Shobhana and Ashok Patel were laid to rest last week, The Sunday Times said. International aviation lawyer James Healey-Pratt, whose firm Keystone Law is representing families of victims of the Air India crash, has told Times Radio the identification issues have raised concerns over the total number of victims whose identities may have been misattributed. 'We know that 12 caskets were repatriated from India to the UK,' he said. 'Of those 12, two had been mishandled, misidentified. 'And so if you extrapolate that sample, you're looking at 40 mishandled remains out of 240. 'So that's a very large number, but we simply don't know. 'And to date, the Indian authorities have not been transparent or helpful about that, which is why there was pressure put on by the families to the FCO and the Prime Minister's office. 'And this was actually mentioned in the meeting at Chequers between Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Modi on Thursday. 'So the families are waiting to hear, first thing next week, about what actions are really being done in India to provide some degree of assurance.' It is understood no blame is being put on any UK agency for the blunders, Mr Healy-Pratt previously told the PA news agency. The only surviving passenger on the plane was Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who previously told The Sun it was a 'miracle' he was alive but felt 'terrible' he could not save his brother Ajay. A preliminary report into the incident from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found both of the plane's fuel switches moved to the 'cut-off' position 'immediately' after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine. It has sparked questions over whether the crash was deliberate.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store