By The newspaper
03 Oct 2023, 01:21 AM EDT
Charlotte Sena, a 9-year-old girl who disappeared Saturday while bicycling at a campground inside Moreau Lake State Park, was found healthy at the home of a man who was taken into custody.
According to the New York State Police (NYSP), the girl was found without injuries. Her family gathered at the entrance to Moreau Lake State Park, Saratoga County, where they thanked authorities and volunteers who worked hard to locate Sena, reported Pix11.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a news conference last night that investigators were able to identify a fingerprint from a ransom note allegedly left by the suspect, identified as 47-year-old Craig Nelson Ross Jr.. Authorities stressed that this is still an active investigation.
About 400 people participated yesterday in the search for the girl, including forest rangers, police, firefighters and volunteers. The search had expanded to more than 46 linear miles (74 linear kilometers).
“What happened was extraordinary.”
BREAKING NEWS:
Missing 9-Year Old Charlotte Sena has been FOUND SAFE. Suspect in custody. More details to come. pic.twitter.com/9B2F2twYnO— National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (@MissingKids) October 2, 2023
“What happened was extraordinary,” Hochul said, detailing that while the rest of Sena’s family remained in the camp where she had disappeared, police guarding her home saw someone drop a note in her mailbox at 4:00: 8pm on Monday. NYSP fingerprinted the note and it matched Ross, who was in a database for a 1999 drunk driving case.
Law enforcement officers linked Ross to a property owned by his mother, entered and found him yesterday around 6:30 p.m. “After some resistance, the suspect was detained and the girl was immediately found in a cabinet,” Hochul said. . “She knew they were rescuing her. She knew she was in good hands.”
Sena was taken to a local hospital, as is customary, Hochul said, adding that she appeared physically unharmed and had already been reunited with her family.
No charges have been brought against Ross and he was still being questioned last night. Those prosecuted are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
In a similar case, still without a happy ending, the girl of Mexican origin Dulce María Alavez has been missing for four years, last seen in a park in New Jersey when she was 5 years old, in 2019. A reward offered of $75,000 dollars and The work of the FBI – one of the most advanced investigative forces in the world – has not been enough to find her or at least know what happened to her.
The FBI continues to ask anyone with information to write to organization portaleither call police at 911, 856-451-0033 or 1-800-CALL-FBI(1-800-225-5324).