Charlotte Sena, Missing 9-Yr-Old New York Girl, Found Safe; Man Who Left Ransom Note Held
Charlotte Sena, the missing nine-year-old from upstate New York, was found safe and physically unharmed after 48 hours. Suspect Craig Nelson Ross Jr., is in custody.
Charlotte Sena, the nine-year-old girl, who vanished during a family camping trip in upstate New York was “safe and in good health" on Monday after the police and rescue teams ended the two-day search and arrested the person suspected in her abduction, news agency Associated Press reported.
The suspect has been identified as Craig Nelson Ross Jr., a 47-year-old man.
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Sena was riding her bike early Saturday evening at New York’s Moreau Lake State Park. The Moreau Lake State Park is a heavily wooded area and lies 60 kilometres north of Albany.
The announcement of the arrest came after investigators identified a fingerprint from a ransom note allegedly left by the suspect. New York Governor Kathy Hochul made the announcement on Monday night (local time).
“What happened was extraordinary. After some resistance, the suspect was taken into custody and immediately the little girl was found in a cabinet. She knew she was being rescued. She knew that she was in safe hands," she said.
Cops said a person dropped a note in the Sena family’s mailbox in the wee hours of Monday morning. They were watching their home as the little girl’s family remained at the campground where she had gone missing.
State police pulled fingerprints off the note and the second one matched Ross, who was in a database from a 1999 DWI case, Hochul told mediapersons. DWI stands for ‘driving while intoxicated’.
The police then linked the 47-year-old Ross to a property owned by his mother, made entry and found him in a camper on Monday evening.
Law enforcement agents linked Ross to a property owned by his mother, made entry and found him in a camper at about 6:30 p.m., she said.
The New York governor said Charlotte appeared physically unharmed and that she and her family have been reunited.
No charges have been brought against Ross, but they are expected, Hochul said. Ross was still being questioned on Monday night, she further added.
The governor named Ross as the suspect late Monday night and it wasn’t immediately known if he had a lawyer to comment on his behalf.
Authorities said it was still an active investigation.
The rescue ended an intense search consisting of about 400 people, including forest rangers, police officers and firefighters. The search had expanded over 46 linear miles (74 linear kilometres), the Associated Press report said.
The girl, who is in fourth grade and hails from Greenfield, was riding her bike around a campsite loop in the park with other children. She decided to ride the loop one last time by herself.
Her parents became alarmed when she failed to return after 15 minutes. They found her bicycle at around 6:45 p.m. Saturday and dialled 9-1-1.
Law enforcement agencies issued an Amber Alert on Sunday morning after an exhaustive search because “it was quite possible that an abduction had taken place," state police Lt. Colonel Richard Mazzone said.
The girl’s family pleaded with the public for help in finding Charlotte, including providing any tips to the state police.
“We just want her returned safely like any parent would. No tip is too small, please call if you know anything at all," the family said in a statement earlier Monday.
The troopers set up several checkpoints on the winding, rural roads around the park.
Drivers were stopped and some were told to open their trunks. The park was also closed due to the search. Federal authorities also issued a temporary flight restriction over the park for the safety of law enforcement air operations.
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