Taunting ransom note, a campervan and hidden in a cabinet: Inside the search to find missing Charlotte Sena
Investigators found the nine-year-old and her alleged abductor after his fingerprints were found on a ransom note left in her parents’ mailbox. Rachel Sharp reports
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Charlotte Sena’s alleged abductor taunted the nine-year-old’s parents with a ransom note before law enforcement tracked the little girl down to a campervan round the back of his mother’s house, according to authorities.
The nine-year-old girl was found alive and safe on Monday – almost exactly 48 hours after she was snatched while riding her bike in Moreau Lake State Park in Saratoga County, upstate New York, on Saturday evening.
Craig Nelson Ross Jr, 47, has now been charged with first-degree kidnapping and is being held at Saratoga County jail.
In a press conference on Monday night, Governor Kathy Hochul detailed how investigators tracked down the missing girl and Mr Ross Jr. to a campervan at the back of his mother’s house.
Ms Hochul revealed that the alleged abductor drove to the Sena’s family home and left a ransom note in the mailbox on Monday morning.
“The case started to break around 4.20am this morning,” she said.
“A car pulled up to the mailbox, something was left.”
The note was discovered by New York State Police who were guarding the home while little Charlotte’s parents were still at the campsite desperately helping with the search to find their daughter.
On discovering that it was a ransom note left by a potential suspect, investigators seized it and searched for any clues for the perpetrator.
A fingerprint was found on the note, Ms Hochul said, prompting officials to comb through the New York state databases for a possible match.
At 2.30pm on Monday afternoon, there was another major “hit” in the case as a match for the print came back to a DWI incident in Saratoga County in 1999, said the governor.
Law enforcement then tracked down the suspect to the campervan where he lived behind his mother’s home.
Ms Hochul said that officers made a “dynamic entry” into the campervan and found the suspect inside.
Mr Ross Jr was taken into custody “after some resistance” and little Charlotte was then found hidden and covered inside a cabinet.
“She knew that she was being rescued. She knew that she was in safe hands,” the governor said.
Little Charlotte outwardly seems to be unharmed but was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
Her parents were notified that she was found safe at 6.32pm – almost exactly 48 hours after she was reported missing.
Charlotte, her parents and two siblings were reunited on Monday evening.
The governor said it is not yet clear if the suspect has any connection to the victim’s family.
“It is not yet known if he knew her or had her under surveillance for some time,” she said.
The investigation is ongoing, Ms Hochul said, with officials working to determine if he may be connected to any other cases.
Cellphone data also helped lead investigators to the little girl.
Ms Hochul told CNN that law enforcement were looking into the cellphones which pinged in the area at the time of Charlotte’s abduction.
“They were checking all the different cell phones that have been in the vicinity of this park,” she said.
“So, you could start circling around possible suspects based on the cell phone data, who is in the park and also then ultimately, the ransom note,” she said.
She added: “It was extraordinary to see how they traced it down to an individual’s home.”
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Mr Ross Jr was charged with one count of first-degree kidnapping.
He appeared for his arraignment in Milton Town Court, according to local outlet Times Union, and was then booked into Saratoga County jail at around 3.40am. He is being held there without bail.
The New York governor said on Sunday that it was a “traumatic event” for Charlotte and her family but now “she’ll be going home”.
“As each hour went on hope fades because we all know the stories – 24 hours there’s hope. 48 hours, hope starts to wane,” said Ms Hochul.
“Often these stories don’t end up like this,” she added later in the briefing.
Charlotte was last seen at around 6.15pm on Saturday evening riding her bike in Loop A of Moreau Lake State Park, according to the New York State Police.
She had gone out for a ride with other children but wanted to do one more loop by herself.
“Last evening, she went out on a bike ride; it wasn’t dark, right around dinnertime, and did a couple of loops with close friends she considers her cousins,” Ms Hochul said on Sunday.
“And then she decided after going around True Bay, she said she just wanted to go around one more time by herself – be that big girl, do it by herself.
“Literally 15 minutes later, she hadn’t come back yet,” the governor said. “And that’s really when the nightmare begins.”
When she failed to come back, her family and friends went looking for her.
The little girl’s bike was found abandoned in the same area.
Charlotte’s mother called 911 to report her daughter missing at around 6.45pm.
A huge search was launched to track down the missing nine-year-old, with multiple law enforcement agencies drafted in to help in the search.
An Amber Alert was issued for the missing girl on Sunday with officials warning that she could be in “imminent danger”
Drones, K-9 teams, underwater rescue teams and airboat search teams were also deployed and the FBI joined the search on Monday.
The Schenectady Fire Office also helped in the search as Charlotte’s uncle worked for the fire department.