In 9 out of 10 cases, when a person is declared ‘missing’ and has not been traced within two days, he or she is purported to be dead. Only miracles can lead a missing person to be found and in ‘good health.’
Charlotte Sena, the nine-year-old girl who was riding her bike in Moreau Lake State Park on Saturday evening, was reported missing by the authorities. However, she was found on Monday, as reported by the New York police, and the prime suspect who contributed to her disappearance is now under custody, and interrogation is underway.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2):format(webp)/charlotte-sena-100223-37b447881aa248648ef2fb108024aea1.jpg "Charlotte Sena: All you need to know about missing 9-year-old's rescue 2")
Governor Kathy Hochul took to X to express her gratitude to the contributors of her search party(investigators and authorities), who were all successful in locating the 9-year-old before anything grotesque could take place. She wrote in her post,” After a 48-hour-long search, Charlotte Sena has been found. Extremely grateful to @nyspolice, @NYStateParks police, and all of our partners who worked tirelessly to locate Charlotte and ensure she could return home safely to her family.” Check out her post below.
After a 48-hour-long search, Charlotte Sena has been found. Extremely grateful to @nyspolice, @NYStateParks police, and all of our partners who worked tirelessly to locate Charlotte and ensure she could return home safely to her family.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) October 2, 2023
People reported that Hochul told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that Sena’s parents had countered a ransom note at their door, which had fingerprints upon their daughter’s abduction. The fingerprint impressions on the note were the first clue investigators used to track down the exact location of Sena and were successful in recovering her.
People reports, ” Charlotte was found at 6:32 p.m. ET, they said, reports CNN. Investigators also used cell phone pings from people who were in the area where Charlotte was last seen, the governor told CNN.”
“It was extraordinary to see how they traced it down to an individual’s home,” Hochul continued in her conversation with Cooper. “The home was surrounded by law enforcement and helicopters, and they were able to bring her to safety. And not long after, she was in the arms of her parents at a hospital.”
According to People, a press conference was arranged on Monday, the day Sena was found, where Hochul revealed details of her abduction. The suspect, 47-year-old Craig Nelson Ross Jr., had abducted her and hid her in his camper in a cabinet, where she was ultimately found.
When encroached further on more details of the gruesome kidnapping, Hochul replied by saying Ross’ interrogation was on, and Sena was taken to the hospital, and that her family did not wish to disclose any further details. She continued, ” [Charlotte] did a couple of loops with close friends she considers her cousins and then she decided after going around Loop A, she said she wanted to go around one more time by herself. Be that big girl, do it by herself.”
After 15 minutes of this, Hochul said that Sena and her bike were nowhere to be found. Hochul reiterated the details of the search, saying, “Charlotte’s mother, Tricia, called 911 and New York State Police arrived around 15 minutes later, and “over 100 personnel deployed and 75 law enforcement on the ground” were involved in the search.
Per Associated Press via People, ‘NYSP K-9s and bloodhounds, Moreau Lake State Park forest rangers, six underwater rescue teams, two drones, an airboat, a Sonar boat, and technology experts assisted in the 48-hour-long search.’
Missing girls below the age of 14 or less is becoming a common event everywhere and raises the question of child safety. However, swift actions and graded investigation protocols followed by the parties involved have successfully been able to retrieve the 9-year-old before the worst could happen. It is nothing short of a miracle.