MOREAU, NEW YORK: A 48-hour-long extensive search for 9-year-old Charlotte Sena came to a happy end on Monday, October 2, 2023, when officers found her safe inside a cabinet of her abductor Craig Ross Jr’s camp van.
Charlotte, a fourth grader at Corinth Central Elementary School, had mysteriously vanished while camping with her family in New York's Moreau Lake State Park.
She was last seen at around 6.15 pm on Saturday, September 30, when she split off from her friends to cycle a lap of the trail loop A by herself.
Authorities were reportedly called to the scene at 6.37 pm, nearly fifteen minutes after Charlotte's parents, David and Trisha Sena, launched a frantic search to find her.
An amber alert was issued for the little girl at around 9:30 am on Sunday, with authorities stating that “she was taken under circumstances that led police to believe that (she is) in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death.”
How did officers rescue Charlotte Sena?
In a press conference, New York Governor Kathy Hochul revealed that officers found little Charlotte covered up and hidden in a cabinet inside Ross Jr’s van on Monday afternoon.
The 47-year-old Ross lived inside a trailer on his mother's property on Barrett Road in Milton, New York. The abductor came under police radar after he drove up to Sena's parents' home at 4.20 am on Monday and left a ransom note inside their mailbox, which was covered with his DNA and fingerprint, according to Daily Mail.
At around 2:30 pm, investigators finally found a fingerprint match in the database and linked it to a DWI arrest made in Saratoga County in 1999.
From there, they found Ross Jr’s location and led an operation to rescue Charlotte. Later that day, Two SWAT teams - one state and one federal - swooped on the property in helicopters, with Ross said to have put up a struggle.
Ross Jr was immediately arrested at the scene and is currently under investigation. No charges have been brought against Ross but they are expected, Hochul said.
Following the rescue, Charlotte was rushed to Albany Medical Center Hospital, where she is said to be in good health.
What do authorities say about Charlotte Sena’s rescue?
“Charlotte has been found safe and in good health,” authorities proudly announced just after 7 pm. Investigators initially believed that Charlotte was pulled into a vehicle against her will or dragged into the woods.
Charlotte’s rescue was the result of a two-day-long frantic search that included 400 search personnel and dozens of federal, state, and local bodies on the ground.
On Monday, Hochul expressed her joy over Charlotte’s rescue, stating that “we are overjoyed at the news that Charlotte Sena has been located safely this evening after an intense days-long search.”
“Our hearts are with her family as they welcome her home. Thank you to the New York State Police, New York Park Police, and all who worked so tirelessly to find Charlotte,” the governor said, adding, “It is because of their efforts that Charlotte will be able to return home safely to her family.”
