Charlotte Sena update: Craig Ross Jr court appearance postponed

The state park where nine-year-old Charlotte Sena was kidnapped on Saturday remains closed as the investigation into her abduction continues.

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservations told CBS that the park will remain “closed indefinitely due to law enforcement activity.”

Charlotte Sena vanished after going for a solo bike ride on Saturday evening in upstate New York. Two days later she was found hidden in a campervan and a 47-year-old suspect has been charged with her kidnap.

Martha McHardy reports:

The Amber Alert system has been credited with the safe recovery of 1,029 children between its implementation in 1997 and 2020.

The system was named in honour of Amber Hagerman, a nine-year-old Texas who was murdered after being abducted in 1996.

Amber’s body was found four days after she was kidnapped while riding her bike in Arlington.

Twenty-seven years on from the tragedy, a suspect has yet to be arrested for the crime.

Every state in the US has Amber Alert plans in place to help find children who are missing and potentially in danger.

They are joined by Washington and Puerto Rico.

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.

A spokesperson for NYSP told Fox News Digital that the trooper tasked with surveilling the Senas’ home didn’t arrest Mr Ros because his presence did not seem unusual amid the many visits that the family received from members of the community.

“Like many other instances where families are experiencing something traumatic, we anticipated there would be a flow of constant traffic in front of the house throughout the night to show support for the family,” the spokesperson said.

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.

The Independent reports:

Craig N Ross Jr, 46, was arrested on Monday evening and charged with kidnapping in the first degree in connection with the 1 October abduction of Charlotte. The little girl was found “unharmed” and hiding inside a cabinet in Mr Ross’ campervan, which was parked behind his mother’s residence in the village of of Ballston Spa, police said.

Gov Kathy Hochul revealed during a press conference following the rescue that Mr Ross was linked to the abduction through a ransom note left inside the Sena family’s mailbox in the early morning hours of Monday. State police pulled fingerprints off the note and the second one matched Mr Ross, who was in a database from a 1999 DWI case.

New York State Police officials have 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 lived in Corinth at the time, 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.”

The terrifying abduction of Charlotte Sena unfolded began on Saturday evening when she was riding her bike in Moreau Lake State Park in Saratoga County, during a family camping trip.

When she failed to return – and her bike was found abandoned – her parents raised the alarm.

What followed next was 48 hours of growing fears for her safety as law enforcement feared she was in “imminent danger”.

On Monday evening – almost exactly two days on from her disappearance – the young girl was found alive in Mr Ross Jr’s campervan, officials said.

Charlotte Senna disappeared from a campsite in upstate New York

Here’s a timeline of the chilling case so far:

Charlotte vanished while riding her bike on Saturday (30 September) at Moreau Lake State Park, a heavily wooded area some 35 miles north of Albany.

State police issued an Amber Alert the following day because “it was quite possible that an abduction had taken place,” Lt Colonel Richard Mazzone said during an earlier press conference. About 400 people took part in the search for Charlotte, including forest rangers, police officers and firefighters.

The girl’s family pleaded with the public for help in finding Charlotte, including providing any tips to the state police.

“We just want her returned safely like any parent would,” the family said in a statement earlier Monday. “No tip is too small, please call if you know anything at all.”

According to a timeline released by authorities, Charlotte asked to go on a solo bike ride at around 6.15pm. Gov Hochul said Charlotte wanted to “be that big girl, do it by herself,” after spending the day riding her bike with other children.

When she failed to return in the next 15 minutes, the little girl’s parents and other campers at the scene started searching for her in the woods. At around 6.45pm, Charlotte’s bike was found abandoned near loop A, and just two minutes later her mother placed a 911 call to report her missing.

The question remains as to whether the suspect had been observing Charlotte and her family before the abduction unfolded and how he was able to allegedly carry out the kidnapping and leave the park grounds without raising suspicions in less than 30 minutes.

A fingerprint on a ransom note led police to a kidnapping suspect’s camper in New York where 9-year-old Charlotte Sena was found hidden in a cabinet, ending a two-day search sparked by the girl’s disappearance during a family camping trip, officials said.

Craig Nelson Ross Jr., 46, was arrested Monday at the camper parked at his mother’s house, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced at a news conference late Monday.

Ross was arraigned overnight in town court in Milton, New York on a charge of first-degree kidnapping, the state police announced Tuesday. He was being held without bail at the Saratoga County Correctional Facility.

Hochul said Charlotte’s family remained at the campground while police watched the family’s home. The officers saw someone drop a note in the mailbox at 4.20am Monday, the governor said. State police pulled fingerprints off the note and the second one matched 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, Hochul said.