Charlotte Sena update: Craig Ross Jr court appearance postponed

New York State Police announced on Monday night that Craig Ross, 46, of Ballston Spa, was arrested in connection with the kidnapping. Charlotte was found in a cabinet inside the suspect’s camper, which was parked behind his mother’s property.

“She’ll be going home. That’s the story,” Governor Kathy Hochul said during a press conference following Charlotte’s rescue. “Charlotte will be going home.”

As the investigation into the case that captured the country’s attention continues to unfold, many questions remain regarding the circumstances surrounding the terrifying apparent abduction.

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Mr Ross is currently facing charges of kidnapping in the first degree.

The suspect was arraigned overnight in town court in Milton. He is being held without bail at the Saratoga County Correctional Facility.

Authorities said that more charges are expected pending the ongoing investigation.

He is expected to appear in court on Friday morning.

New details have now emerged about the contents of the ransom note and who may have written it.

According to court documents obtained by CNN, the note allegedly demanded $50,000 from the nine-year-old’s family in exchange for her safe return.

Sources close to the investigation have now also told local paper Times Union that Mr Ross Jr may have forced the nine-year-old to write the note herself.

The Independent’s Martha McHardy reports:

Police have asked members of the public to come forward with surveillance video from around the time of the abduction of nine-year-old Charlotte Sena.

The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office and New York State Police asked the public to come forward with video footage during the hours of 6:15 pm to 7:15 pm on Saturday from the following roads:

• Old Saratoga Road in the Town of Moreau
• Route 9 South of Old Saratoga Round in the Towns of Moreau and Wilton
• Ballard Road near Corinth Mountain Rd in the Town of Wilton
• Corinth Mountain Rd in the Towns of Wilton and Corinth
• Spier Falls Road in the Towns of Corinth and Greenfield
• North Greenfield Road in the Town of Greenfield
• Middle Grove Road in the Town of Greenfield
• Route 29 in the Town of Milton
• Barret Road in the Town of Milton

Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact mrobinson@saratogacountyny.gov.

The man accused of snatching nine-year-old Charlotte Sena once lived just two minutes away by car from her current family home, according to records.

Craig N Ross Jr, 46, was charged on Tuesday with kidnapping in the first degree in connection with Charlotte’s abduction on 1 October. New York State Police raided a property owned by Mr Ross’s mother in the Town of Milton, Saratoga County, on Tuesday evening and found the little girl inside a campervan parked behind the home.

Mr Ross was taken into custody following some resistance and is currently being held at the Saratoga Correctional Facility, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said during a press conference following Charlotte’s rescue. The child, who was found “unharmed” and hiding inside a cabinet, has since been reunited with her family.

Andrea Blanco reports:

Officials initially only revealed Mr Ross’s arrest in 1999.

NYSP has since confirmed to The Independent that Mr Ross was arrested five years ago over a domestic dispute. According to the law enforcement agency, the unnamed victim accused Mr Ross, who then lived in Corinth, of applying pressure on their throat during an altercation on 21 April 2017.

“Ross Jr. was arrested at the scene and transported to SP Wilton for processing,” a spokesperson for NYSP said in a statement. “He was arraigned at the Moreau Town Court and released on his own recognizance.”

It is unclear whether the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office followed through with the case or dropped the charges, but public court records do not show a pending case against Mr Ross over the 2017 incident. The Independent has reached out to the DA’s office for comment.

The NYSP said it could not only comment on reports of pending investigations involving Mr Ross.

“New York State Police will not confirm, deny, or provide any information concerning investigations that did not result in criminal prosecution,” the agency said.

According to police, officers saw someone drop a note in the mailbox at 4.20am Monday, the governor said. At the time, Charlotte’s family was at the campground while police watched their home in Greenfield.

State police pulled fingerprints off the note and the second one matched Mr Ross, who was in a database from a 1999 DWI case.

Law enforcement agents linked Ross to the property owned by his mother, where they found him in the camper.

“After some resistance, the suspect was taken into custody and immediately the little girl was found in a cabinet,” Gov Hochul said. “She knew she was being rescued. She knew that she was in safe hands.”

The governor said that Charlotte was found unharmed and was transported to a hospital for a standard checkup. She was reunited with her family.

It remains unclear what exactly was written on the ransom note allegedly delivered by Mr Ross, but according to records obtained by CNN, the note allegedly demanded $50,000 from the nine-year-old’s family in exchange for her safe return.

Sources close to the investigation have now also told the AlbanyTimes Union that Mr Ross Jr may have forced the nine-year-old to write the note herself.

The fingerprint match came hours after the ransom note was left inside the Senas’ mailbox.

It is unclear why the trooper tasked with surveilling the Senas’ home did not approach Mr Ross immediately after he allegedly delivered the note — or why at least the suspect was not followed.

The Times Union reports that the office’s actions are being reviewed by New York State Police, but allegations of mishandling the investigation have not been raised within the agency.