Charlotte Sena, the nine-year-old girl who vanished from her family holiday after she went on a bike ride was miraculously rescued on Monday after troopers hunted down the abductor and found. According to police, Sena was abducted and hidden in the camper van of the abductor. Sena was reportedly found hidden inside a cabinet in the camper van.
She was found in good health," police said. Cops have since identified the abductor as 47-year-old Craig Ross Jr. who allegedly left a ransom note in the mailbox of Sena's family's home, Moreau Lake State Park Saturday, NY State Police said. Ross Jr has since been arrested and is currently under questioning.
Found Inside a Cabinet
Governor Kathy Hochul revealed at a press conference that little Sena was found hidden in a cabinet on Monday afternoon, emphasizing that the child quickly realized she was being rescued.
In a joint effort, two SWAT teams, one state and one federal, swiftly descended on the property using helicopters. The suspect, Ross, reportedly put up a struggle during the operation.
Although Ross is currently being questioned, he has not yet been officially charged with a crime. Hochul expects charges will be filed soon. No mugshot of Ross has been released, and there is no indication that he knew the victim's family.
In the early hours of Monday, Ross Jr. drove to Sena's parents' home, leaving a ransom note inside their mailbox, as recounted by Governor Hochul.
The note was found to have Ross's DNA and fingerprints, and fortunately, Sena's parents were not at home at the time.
Investigators made a breakthrough at 2:30 pm Monday when they matched the fingerprints from the ransom note to a 1999 DWI arrest in Saratoga County. Following this lead, they arrested Ross Jr., ultimately locating the missing girl.
Law enforcement confirmed that Ross Jr. is not a registered sex offender, but they have not disclosed a motive for the abduction.
Earlier reports had mistakenly suggested the suspect was a 51-year-old local pedophile, a misconception that was corrected once the true identity of the alleged abductor, Ross Jr., was revealed.
Tracking Down the Suspect and Charlotte
State police, along with FBI agents and 34 volunteer fire departments, conducted a comprehensive 18-hour search of the park using various resources including police dogs, drones, boats, and underwater teams. Regrettably, they found no signs of the young girl, who was last seen around 6:15 p.m. on Saturday.
Authorities issued an AMBER Alert for a child abduction on Sunday morning, featuring Charlotte's photo and pertinent information to aid in the search efforts.
The alert noted that "the child was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death."
State Police Lt. Col. Richard Mazzone said that by Monday afternoon investigators had a belief that Sena, a resident of Greenfield, was no longer within the park premises.
Investigators were focusing on the theory that Sena was forcibly taken inside a vehicle against her will or potentially dragged into the nearby woods.
However, there was a positive development later on. Just after 7 pm, the police made the announcement that Sena had been found safe and in good health.
The New York State Police had earlier been quite sure that Sena was abducted from Moreau Lake State Park. When last seen, she was dressed in a tie-dye Pokémon shirt, dark blue pants, black crocs, and a gray bike helmet on Saturday evening.
Sena was found about 13 miles south of her family home, bringing a sense of relief and closure to the intense search.
Charlotte was enjoying an afternoon of cycling at Loop A of Moreau Lake State Park in New York, near Saratoga Springs, when she disappeared around 6:15 pm on Saturday. Throughout the day, she had been playing with her friends but chose to have one last solo ride before sunset.
Typically, completing the small loop would only have taken a few minutes. However, by 6:30 pm, her parents grew anxious as she had not returned. They found Charlotte's bike on the loop by 6:47 pm and immediately called 911, initiating the search for her.
An urgent and frantic search was initiated following that. An Amber Alert was issued on Sunday morning, and park rangers scoured the expansive 6,250-acre park, unfortunately finding no immediate trace of her.
Moreau Lake State Park encompasses 158 camping sites. Loop A, where Charlotte was last seen, is located in the southwest corner of the park and is directly adjacent to US Highway 9, a significant roadway stretching from Philadelphia to Canada.
