10 things about Montreal, Quebec entrepreneur Luciano Frattolin

Luciano Frattolin is a resident of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The city is home to Concordia University and McGill University.

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BIOGRAPHY

Frattolin an Italian-Ethiopian-Canadian entrepreneur who has visited Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South Africa. His daughter Melina Galanis Frattolin was last seen alive at a restaurant in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States on July 19, 2025.

Before Melina’s death, Luciano described himself as a loving father, a traveller and a coffee lover in his Instagram bio. Here are 10 more things about him:

1. He is the founder of the online java business Gambella Coffee and the coffee shop Café Gambella, which are both based in Montreal.
2. He was born in Gambela, Ethiopia to an Italian father and an Ethiopian mother.
3. He once owned the coffee shop Dépanneur Café.
4. In 2014, he visited Monaco.
5. In 2016, he became a father.
6. After he and his child’s mother became estranged in 2019, the child resided full-time with her mother in Montreal.
7. From 2020 to 2024, he rented a property in Mile End, Montreal, sublet it as an Airbnb and hired two property managers to handle it.
8. In 2023, he visited Ethiopia; England, United Kingdom; Australia and Italy.
9. On June 16, 2025, he turned 45.
10. In 2025, he was accused of killing Melina in New York, United States while he was more than $200,000 in debt stemming from business dealings in Montreal.

TIMELINE

After Frattolin’s arrest in 2025, it was revealed that he still owed Bank of Nova Scotia around $83,000 on Dépanneur Café and $97,000 in unpaid credit-card debts from Café Gambella. He had no prior criminal record or known history of domestic violence or mental health issues.

2010s

• On March 31, 2016, his daughter Melina Galanis Frattolin was born.
• In February 2019, an unfortunate event severely affected his well-being, according to the Gambella Coffee website.

2020s

• In March 2023, he traveled to Oromia, Ethiopia and London, England.
• In April 2023, he enjoyed a helicopter ride in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
• In July 2023, he traveled to Milan, Italy.
• In August 2024, the landlord of the property he was renting in Mile End terminated his lease after he fell $26,000 behind in rent. He sued his two property managers for more than $115,000, accusing them of exploiting the property without his knowledge.
• On July 11, 2025, he and Melina legally entered the U.S. for the purpose of a vacation and were expected to return to Canada on July 19, 2025, the day he was supposed to return her to the custody of her mother in Montreal.
• At around 5:30 p.m. on July 19, 2025, he was with Melina in Saratoga Springs. After she spoke to her mother on the phone at around 6:30 p.m., he allegedly killed his daughter and concealed her body by positioning it under a log in a waterway in Ticonderoga, New York. At around 10:00 p.m., while in Warren County, New York, he called 911, reported Melina missing and claimed that she was possibly abducted after he stopped briefly to urinate near Exit 22 on Interstate 87 in Lake George, New York and returned to find her gone.
• At around 1:50 p.m. on July 20, 2025, members of the New York State Forest Rangers found his daughter Melina dead in the shallow water of a pond in Ticonderoga.
• On July 21, 2025, he was arrested in New York, booked into the Essex County Correctional Facility in Lewis, New York and charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse. When he appeared in court that day, he told a judge that he could not afford a lawyer. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
• On July 25, 2025, he will be back in court.