Missing 9-year-old girl found in a cabinet of 47-year-old man’s camper. Here’s how authorities found her
A 9-year-old girl was found safe after a massive two-day search in upstate New York, and a suspect has been detained.
Her parents received a ransom note at their home, which proved to be “the crucial piece of evidence that led to a break in the case,” CNN reported.
Investigators discovered fingerprints on the note and searched the database to find a match and identified the prints belonged to 47-year-old Craig Nelson Ross Jr.
They located Ross’s residence Monday night — he was living in a camper trailer behind his mother’s home, according to The New York Times. Law enforcement officials raided the camper and found Charlotte hidden in a cupboard.
An Amber Alert was issued Sunday morning, urging the public to help in finding the young girl.
***AMBER ALERT UPDATED DESCRIPTION*** PLEASE SHARE! NYSP has activated AMBER Alert for a child abduction that occurred near Moreau Lake State Park in Gansevoort, NY at about 6:45 PM on 9/30/2023. Anyone with any information should call the NYSP at (518) 457-6811 or dial 911. pic.twitter.com/vE6YGbdDP9
— NewYorkStatePolice (@nyspolice) October 1, 2023
When did Charlotte Sena first go missing?
Charlotte was first reported missing Saturday night after riding her bike on one of the loops in Moreau Lake State Park in Gansevoort, New York. She did one last loop by herself at 6:15 p.m., and when she didn’t return, her mother reported her missing upon finding her bike on the side of the road with no sign of her around, per CNN.
“Following our exhaustive search of the park we took that step of issuing the Amber Alert because we felt that that exhaustive search, when we couldn’t find her here, it was quite possible that an abduction had taken place,” Lt. Colonel Richard Mazzone of the Uniform Force of the State Police told CNN.
Over 100 personnel and 75 law enforcement officials were involved in the search, as well as dogs, two drones, two boats and six underwater rescue teams, NBC News reported.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul met with Charlotte’s family and urged anyone with any information to come forward to law enforcement.
“Hearts are broken here today in New York,” Hochul said during a news conference, per NBC News. “Hopefully there will be a reunion. Hopefully, there will be a family that has been traumatized but reunited.”
