Trial Testimony Reveals Mother’s Concerns Before Daughter’s Death

The mother of 9-year-old Melina Fratlin testified on Tuesday that she had reservations about her daughter traveling with her father prior to what prosecutors allege was a fatal trip to New York this summer.

Kari Galanis told a jury that her ex-partner, Luciano Fratlin, intended to take Melina to Ethiopia for two weeks in January 2025. However, Galanis remarked that the trip didn’t happen as Melina expressed her unwillingness to go.

“She didn’t want to go,” Galanis testified, recalling her own feelings of unease about the planned trip.

Galanis’ account provided insight into the family’s disputes regarding Melina’s travel plans and the mounting anxiety surrounding Fratlin’s intentions before Melina’s tragic death.

After separating in 2019, Galanis started worrying about Melina traveling abroad with Fratlin. Her attorney had highlighted several cases of parents failing to return their children after international trips.

She recounted that Fratlin eventually suggested an extended visit to Ethiopia, but after discussing it with Melina, she felt compelled to cancel the trip.

“It made me uncomfortable,” Galanis stated, adding, “I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

Instead, she said Fratlin proposed an alternative vacation within the northeastern United States.

Authorities indicated that Fratlin and Melina traveled to Connecticut and New York before planning to head back to Quebec.

Prosecutors contend that on the day Melina was supposed to return to Quebec, Fratlin falsely reported her kidnapping by two men in a white van, which led to an Amber Alert. Investigators later established that there was no proof of abduction. Tragically, Melina’s body was discovered partially submerged in shallow water near Eagle Lake in Ticonderoga.

Fratlin has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and concealing a corpse.

During the trial, investigator Daniel Mauro from the New York State Police testified about Fratlin’s unsettling comment during the interrogation, stating it would have been “easier” to kill his daughter abroad, specifically naming Italy or Ethiopia.

This remark occurred after the investigators inquired about any reasons he might have had to harm Melina.

The trial is ongoing in Essex County Court.