Melina Frattolin Autopsy Revealed by New York Police
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
An autopsy conducted on July 21 by Dr. Michael Sikirica at Glens Falls Hospital determined that Melina Frattolin, 9, died from asphyxia due to drowning. The manner of death has been ruled a homicide, though the final autopsy report remains pending further laboratory analysis.
On Monday, Luciano Frattolin, the father of Melina Frattolin, was arrested and faces charges of second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse following the discovery of the 9-year-old's body.
As part of the ongoing investigation, New York State Police are also seeking public assistance in locating additional video footage or eyewitness accounts related to the vehicle Frattolin and her companion traveled in between July 11 and July 19.
Authorities released photos of the vehicle involved, identified as a 2024 gray Toyota Prius.
Investigators are focusing on the I-87 Northway corridor between Exits 28 and 20—stretching from North Schroon Lake to the Lake George area—during the evening hours of July 19.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
Virginia Giuffre's Brother Asks Why Epstein Files Haven't Been Released
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Virginia Giuffre's brother, Sky Roberts, said he wants to know why the documents related to the investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have not been released, saying in part that "it's time for these monsters to be exposed." Newsweek reached out to the Department of Justice (DOJ) via online form Thursday night for comment. Why It Matters Backlash regarding the investigation into the disgraced financier reached fever pitch this month after the DOJ and the FBI released a joint statement confirming that Epstein died by suicide in 2019 and that there was no "client list." Attorney General Pam Bondi has faced the brunt of the backlash from MAGA and Democrats alike as lawmakers plead for transparency and access to documents. What To Know Earlier this week, Trump was asked aboard Air Force One whether one of the workers "stolen" from his Mar-a-Lago Club by Epstein was Giuffre. Trump responded, "I don't know. I think she worked at the spa. I think so, I think that was one of the people, yep. He stole her, and by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever." Trump's comments prompted Giuffre's family to release a statement, saying in part, "It was shocking to hear President Trump invoke our sister and say that he was aware that Virginia had been 'stolen' from Mar-a-Lago," the family said. "We would like to clarify that it was convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell who targeted and preyed upon our then 16-year-old sister, Virginia, from Mar-a-Lago, where she was working in 2000, several years before Epstein and President Trump had their falling out," Giuffre's family added. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025 in Australia. The family members of Virginia Giuffre can be seen talking with CNN's Kaitlan Collins on July 31. (Photo from CNN) The family members of Virginia Giuffre can be seen talking with CNN's Kaitlan Collins on July 31. (Photo from CNN) If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or visit This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
Lee Vogler Fire Attack: Man Intended to Kill Virginia Politician
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A man accused of dousing a Virginia city councilman with gasoline and setting him on fire told investigators he intended the attack to be fatal, according to charging documents released Thursday. Police say the motive appears personal and unrelated to Councilman Lee Vogler's work in public office. Vogler, 38, a father of two, was flown to a North Carolina burn unit after Wednesday's attack. His condition was not immediately available. Police said Shotsie Michael Buck‑Hayes, 29, barged into Vogler's workplace at a local magazine, poured gasoline on him, chased him outside and ignited the fuel. Charging documents say Buck‑Hayes later admitted he wanted the flames to kill Vogler. Danville, Virginia, City Councilman Lee Vogler, 38, is shown in a photo from his Facebook page. Inset: Police said Shotsie Michael Buck‑Hayes, 29, barged into Vogler's workplace at a local magazine, poured gasoline on him,... Danville, Virginia, City Councilman Lee Vogler, 38, is shown in a photo from his Facebook page. Inset: Police said Shotsie Michael Buck‑Hayes, 29, barged into Vogler's workplace at a local magazine, poured gasoline on him, chased him outside and ignited the fuel. Charging documents say Buck‑Hayes later admitted he wanted the flames to kill Vogler. More Facebook/Danville County Buck‑Hayes is charged with attempted first‑degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding. He is being held without bail in the Danville City Jail. Edward Lavado, his attorney, declined to comment Thursday. Witnesses and Vogler himself identified Buck‑Hayes as the attacker, the documents say. Andrew Scott Brooks, editor and publisher of Showcase Magazine, said the suspect forced his way into the office despite the door being locked. "The next thing, Lee is running through the office covered in gasoline, yelling for our officemate to call 911," Brooks said. Vogler's wife, Blair, thanked first responders and praised her husband's resilience. "As anyone who knows him would expect, he is facing this challenge the same way he's faced every obstacle in his life — with courage, determination, and an unbreakable spirit," she said. "Lee is a fighter." Vogler has served on the Danville City Council for more than a decade and is considered a well‑known figure in the small city near the Virginia‑North Carolina state line, about 140 miles north of Charlotte. The charging documents list Buck‑Hayes as a Danville resident. This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Newsweek
Texas Man Charged With Killing Afghan Father: What To Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Newsweek has exclusively obtained, through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the official charge sheet for Katia Trevon Bougere, a 31-year-old Texas man indicted on a murder charge in the April shooting of Abdul Rahman Waziri in Houston. Waziri—a refugee who fled to the United States in 2021 after serving in an elite Afghan military unit trained to detect hidden explosives and assigned to protect U.S. Green Berets—was fatally shot after a confrontation. According to the indictment issued by a Harris County grand jury, Bougere—born November 14, 1993, and originally from California—faces a felony murder charge as prosecutors pursue the case. Why It Matters Rather than being arrested on the felony murder charge, Bougere was allowed to remain free after receiving only a summons to appear in court—a move that has provoked outrage from Waziri's grieving family, their lawyers and parts of the community. Waziri's death has prompted public protests in Houston and letters from former U.S. military personnel who served with him, calling for justice, and raises a number of legal and ethical questions. Abdul Rahman Waziri was part of an elite Afghan military unit trained to detect hidden explosives and assigned to protect U.S. Green Berets. Abdul Rahman Waziri was part of an elite Afghan military unit trained to detect hidden explosives and assigned to protect U.S. Green Berets. Waziri Family What To Know The fatal shooting occurred around 9:08 p.m. April 27 outside an apartment complex on Ocee Street in Houston. According to police and surveillance footage reviewed by Newsweek, the shooting followed a brief confrontation between the two men over a parking spot. Video time-stamps show Waziri arriving at 9:06:28 p.m. in his white Toyota Camry. He parked, switched on his hazard lights and briefly stepped out to collect his mail. Just 22 seconds later, at 9:06:50 p.m., a black Kia sedan pulled in. Its driver, later identified by police as Bougere, exited the vehicle and confronted Waziri. The two men exchanged gestures before Waziri returned to his mailbox, while Bougere moved toward Waziri's parked car. Due to a camera obstruction, the footage does not capture the moments immediately preceding the shooting. According to Houston police, Waziri returned to his vehicle intending to leave when Bougere retrieved a gun from his own car and opened fire, striking Waziri multiple times. Surveillance video then shows Bougere calmly walking away from the scene. Waziri, married with two young daughters, was later pronounced dead at Ben Taub General Hospital. When law enforcement arrived, police said, a man identified himself to responding officers as the shooter, telling them the altercation began over a parking dispute. Police confiscated his firearm, interviewed him, and—on the advice of the Harris County District Attorney's Office—released him without a charge. "That's the unfortunate circumstance here," according to family attorney Omar Khawaja, who says Waziri was unarmed: "If you shoot and kill somebody and you report it and claim self-defense, then now, somehow there's a little bit of credibility given to your statement. "A husband and father was senselessly killed, and while we are grateful the grand jury returned a murder charge, it is outrageous that the man accused of taking his life is being allowed to appear by summons—not arrested, not handcuffed, not treated like the violent offender he is alleged to be," Khawaja said, according to adding, "This indictment is just the beginning of the justice the Waziri family deserves." Abdullah Waziri, Abdul's older brother, discussed returning to the scene: "Actually I don't like this area [pointing to the ground] ... in this crack, the bloods were here, and I asked the neighbor to get us a bucket and a brush, and I dumped water, and they were helping me with the cleaning the blood," reported. Newsweek exclusively obtained the official charge sheet for Bougere, dated July 27, which states: "In the name and by the authority of the State of Texas: the duly organized Grand Jury of Harris County, Texas, presents in the District Court of Harris County, Texas, that in Harris County, Texas, Katia Trevon Bougere, hereafter styled the Defendant, heretofore on or about April 27, 2025, did then and there unlawfully intentionally and knowingly cause the death of Abdul Waziri, hereinafter called the Complainant, by Shooting The Complainant With A Deadly Weapon, Namely, A Firearm." In Texas, when courts determine whether bail is "sufficient and non-oppressive," they must follow guidelines set out in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure (Article 17.15), setting an amount that: Is high enough to ensure court appearance and public safety, But not excessively high to be considered unconstitutional or punitive. On July 31, a bail bond for Bougere was requested, and granted, at $100,000. What People Are Saying Khawaja, in an exclusive interview with Newsweek on July 31, said: "Had he [Bougere] just waited 30 seconds, Mr. Waziri would have gotten his mail and moved on. Instead, an enraged man with a firearm decided otherwise. "Texas has developed an irrational sensitivity toward so-called Second Amendment rights. We now see regular shootings—road rage, parking disputes—it feels like the Wild West. People are drawing guns instead of resolving conflicts peacefully. Is that really the society we want, one where we tolerate dueling in the streets? "From what I understand from some of the residents that we interviewed ... this guy, Bougere, was living at these apartments ... and with the shooter continuing to live in the same complex, created a chilling effect. But the lack of an immediate arrest has terrified witnesses. Multiple eyewitnesses saw what happened, but many are just too scared to speak. We're urging them to come forward so justice can be served. We just want this family to get some justice." Ben Hoffman, a 20-year veteran with the Green Berets who served six tours in Afghanistan and who met with Waziri in 2019, told the media: "It makes me extremely upset ... after everything he went through and everything he risked, for him to be shot dead in front of his apartment over what seems like some dumb argument, and then for there to be ... very little response from the local authorities ... it breaks my heart," reported. What Happens Next The legal office of Khawaja is standing by the Waziri family, ensuring they understand the legal process and get the support they need. Subsequent to the shooting, Bougere was evicted from the complex and has moved to an apartment 2.1 miles away. He is under bail conditions that ban him from leaving his home and include GPS monitoring. His next court date is set for 9 a.m. August 5.
