More than 100 people are searching for a nine-year-old girl who went missing while camping Saturday evening in Upstate New York.
Charlotte Sena was camping in Moreau Lake State Park with her family when she decided to go out on a bike ride with her friends around dinnertime
'She's all of our daughters': Governor vows to find missing NY girl
02:15
CNN
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Charlotte Sena, the 9-year-old girl who went missing while on a camping trip at a New York state park two days ago, has been found safe and a suspect has been detained, authorities said Monday evening.
Before she was found, Charlotte’s parents received a ransom note at their home, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday evening.
At a late-night news conference, the governor outlined the meticulous work by authorities after they found the note – and the crucial piece of evidence that led to a break in the case.
Hochul said the break in the case came around 4:20 a.m. ET Monday when the suspect drove to Charlotte’s parents home and put a ransom note in the mailbox.
“He literally drove up to the family’s mailbox assuming they were not home,” Hochul said, adding Charlotte’s parents were still at the campground searching for their daughter.
The family’s home was being monitored by state police, but the officers had been sent to another call in the area when the suspect dropped off the note. Police tested the document for fingerprints and searched law enforcement databases to see if they could find a match.
On their second try, they got back results identifying fingerprints left on the note belonged to 47-year-old Craig Nelson Ross, Jr., the governor said.
Investigators were able to determine Ross was living in a camper behind his mother’s residence and used two SWAT teams to make entry. “They had what they call a dynamic entry tactical maneuver, and within the camper they located the suspect,” said Hochul.
Police say he resisted being taken into custody and sustained minor injuries. They found Charlotte hidden in a cabinet in the camper, Hochul said. “She knew she was being rescued,” the governor said. “She knew she was in safe hands.