A woman from New York believes she witnessed the father of a 9-year-old girl, who was later found murdered, running away near the scene. Rebecca Krickawski, who has lived in Ticonderoga her whole life, reported the sighting to the police after being alerted about the girl’s disappearance on Sunday. She described seeing a tall, slender man sprinting up a hill while she was driving toward Lake Silon.
“Something about him just felt off,” she recalled, noting that their eyes met briefly as she passed by. Although she didn’t see the girl with him at that time, she acted quickly when she received the Amber alert regarding Melina Fratlin, feeling horrified at the thought of that possibly being the same man.
Meanwhile, an alert had been issued after the girl’s father claimed she was abducted, but authorities later concluded that this might not have been true. Tragically, Melina’s body was later found under some logs at Lake Eagle, very close to where Krickawski spotted the suspicious individual.
Melina’s father, Luciano Fratlin, has been charged with her murder and facing additional charges for concealment of a body. He was reportedly the only guardian during that week. The two had traveled from Canada to New York, having visited several places before ending up in Ticonderoga.
On Saturday evening, Krickawski noticed Fratlin’s vehicle in Saratoga Springs, which is about 67 miles south of Ticonderoga. About an hour later, Melina’s mother was in touch with Fratlin, but he became unresponsive shortly thereafter, not adhering to the agreed-upon time to return Melina.
Authorities allege that he strangled Melina shortly after their last conversation. Fratlin was arrested early Monday morning, appeared in court that same day, and entered a not guilty plea. He’s set to return to court on Friday.
