Fingerprints from a ransom note were key in locating a 9-year-old girl who vanished during a camping trip with her family at Moreau Lake State Park in Saratoga County, New York, on Saturday, officials said Monday evening.
Charlotte Sena is “in good health” after being found safe, and the suspect allegedly involved in her disappearance, 47-year-old Craig Nelson Ross Jr., is in custody, CBS News reported.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said at a late-night press conference that police identified Ross Jr. as being in the area of the park around the time Charlotte went missing on Saturday. She added that fingerprints on a ransom note left at Charlotte’s home led police to Ross Jr.
“Literally drove up to the family’s mailbox, assuming they were not home, 4:20 in the morning, opens the mailbox and inserts the ransom note,” Hochul said. “The hit came at 2:30 in the afternoon. There had been a DWI (driving while intoxicated) in 1999 in the city of Saratoga. A fingerprint was found that matched what was found on the ransom note.”
Police found Charlotte just after 6:30 p.m. on Monday as they “searched multiple residences where Ross Jr. was known to live,” according to the report.
After a 48-hour-long search, Charlotte Sena has been found. Extremely grateful to @nyspolice, @NYStateParks police, and all of our partners who worked tirelessly to locate Charlotte and ensure she could return home safely to her family.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) October 2, 2023
Ross Jr. was found at a property owned by his mother, and police arrested him, BBC reported. Hochul said Ross Jr. was taken into custody “after some resistance,” 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. “What happened was extraordinary.”
Hochul said Ross Jr. was still being questioned as of Monday night. Police said the investigation was still active.
Hochul had told reporters at a news conference that Charlotte had been biking around Loop A of the park with family and friends and said she wanted to bike one more loop on her own.
Hochul said that when Charlotte had not returned 15 minutes later, her parents, along with nearby campers, began searching for her and calling her name. Lt. Col. Richard Mazzone said they found Charlotte’s bike on the loop at 6:45 p.m., and two minutes later, her mother called 911 to report her daughter missing. Police arrived at the scene by 7 p.m.
State police issued an Amber Alert around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday for a “child abduction” they say occurred at approximately 6:45 p.m. Saturday.
State police, along with FBI agents and 34 volunteer fire departments, conducted an extensive 48-hour search of the park using police dogs, drones, boats, and underwater teams.
***AMBER ALERT – UPDATE***THE AMBER ALERT has been CANCELLED. Charlotte has been found safe and in good health.The…
Posted by New York State Police on Monday, October 2, 2023
“‘The fact that this little girl is with her family, their family is whole again tonight. Long road to recovery. The trauma that she experienced I’m sure is immense,’ said Callahan Walsh, from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children,” CBS News reported.
