A community shaken after nine-year-old Melina Frattolin was found dead in the small New York town of Ticonderoga on Sunday. Her death was ruled a homicide. Her father, Luciano Frattolin of Montreal is being charged in her death.

TICONDEROGA, NY — Hundreds of locals from the close-knit upstate community where 9-year-old Melina Frattolin was allegedly murdered by her father mourned the little girl in a heartbreaking vigil Tuesday.

Authorities released a cause of death for a 9-year-old girl believed to have been murdered by her father in upstate New York.Melina Frattolin died from asphyxia due to drowning, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide,

A Canadian man whose daughter was found dead after he reported that she was abducted while they were vacationing in upstate New York has been charged with murder.

A Lake George hotel owner believes he may have stumbled upon a crucial piece of evidence in the case of 9-year-old Melina Frattolin —

Melina Frattolin, aged 9, was found dead in Ticonderoga, New York on July 20 hours after her father reported her missing and suggested she had been abducted. Police later determined no abduction had taken place, and noted "inconsistencies" in her father's account of her disappearance (New York State Police)

An Amber Alert was issued in New York on Saturday after Melina Galanis Frattolin, a 9-year-old girl, went missing

The child was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious bodily harm and/or death,” the alert read.