Americans hold vigil for Canadian girl, 9, found dead in a pond

National Post

4 days ago

Residents of an upstate New York town gathered Tuesday night to shed tears and light candles for a nine-year-old Montreal girl whose body was found in their community over the weekend.
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Scores of people in Ticonderoga gathered at a local park for an emotional tribute to nine-year-old Melina Frattolin.
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As 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' played softly from a speaker, people lit each other's candles, wiped away tears and bowed their heads as a prayer was read.
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Her 45-year-old father has been charged with second-degree murder and the concealment of a human corpse. Luciano Frattolin, a Montreal resident, has pleaded not guilty.
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Ticonderoga resident Bridgette Cruz, who organized the vigil, said her heart is shattered for Melina's mother and loved ones.
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'She was supposed to be taken care of, and I can't fathom as a mother the pain that she's enduring in her heart, and the suffering,' she said ahead of the vigil. 'It truly is a tragedy, not just for this town but two nations.'
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She says the little girl would forever be a part of the community, even if she didn't live there.
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'This little girl was not from here but we're going to love her like she was from Ticonderoga,' Cruz said.
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Matthew Courtright, president and CEO of the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce, said the whole community had been affected by the death.
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'In the face of tragedy, in the face of issues, we always come together,' he said. 'People step up and we support each other.'
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At the vigil, a bouquet of flowers and a small stuffed animal were set on a table. Next to it sat two pieces of artwork, with a message in a child's handwriting that read, 'RIP Melina. You were loved by a lot of people.'
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As the sun set across the park, illuminating the open spaces and a bubbling waterfall, many of the vigil attendees expressed incomprehension at how a father could allegedly have killed his child.
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'Hearing about the father, it's devastating,' said Annette Hurlburt. 'I have a nine-year old nephew and I can't imagine this happening to him.'
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She said many residents of the town received an Amber Alert when Melina went missing, and had hoped for her safe return.
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Hurlburt said her message was to encourage anyone who is struggling to seek help before it's too late. 'If you are in a situation and you need to seek help, so tragedies like this don't happen, I would recommend getting help,' she said.
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