Police say a missing 9-year-old girl they believe may have been abducted while on a solo bike ride at a campground during a family trip in upstate New York has been found alive and a suspect is in custody.
In a press conference late on Oct. 2, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and law enforcement identified the suspect in the case of missing fourth-grader Charlotte Sena as Craig Nelson Ross Jr.
Charlotte was located in a camper behind the suspect's mother's home the evening of Oct. 2. She had vanished on Sept. 30 while on a solo bike ride at Moreau Lake State Park in Saratoga County, about 50 miles north of Albany. She had been camping with her family and friends.
Officials said at the press conference on Oct. 2 that Charlotte had been "no more than two tenths of a mile" from her family's campsite while on the bike ride, which should have taken "about four minutes, five minutes." Her family realized she was missing about fifteen minutes later when she didn't return, police said.
Her bike was found by her family at 6:45 p.m., and her mother immediately called 911 to report her missing. Police issued an Amber Alert for her on Oct. 1, and more than a hundred searchers looked for Sena by ground, air and water.
“The child was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death,” the Amber Alert said.
By the evening of Oct. 2, Charlotte had been "located and in good heath," state police said in a statement. The statement said investigators had learned of a person who was "in the area" of Moreau Lake State Park when Charlotte went missing on Monday evening.
Hochul said late on Oct. 2 that the case breakthrough came when the suspect, Ross, allegedly left a ransom note for the girl at the home of her parents early that morning. He also left fingerprints on the mailbox.
“He literally drove up to the family’s mailbox ... at 4:20 in the morning,” to drop off the note, the governor said.
Investigators searched multiple residences where Ross was known to stay — including one address two miles from where Charlotte's family lived. He was located in a camper behind his mother's double-wide trailer home and taken into custody.
Charlotte was found hiding in a cupboard inside the camper.
Hochul said it has not yet been determined if the suspect knew the girl or her family.
Moreau Lake State Park — which has been closed to hiking, camping, boating and other activities until further notice according to the park’s Facebook page — shared a status update on Monday night.
"Great news. We are thankful to everyone who assisted with the search, and everyone who has sent their good wishes."
Park officials had urged people to stay off the trails and away from the park to “leave all the searching to professionals.” It was unclear as of Monday evening if the park will reopen on Tuesday.
