Charlotte, 9, who went missing while riding her bike in Moreau Lake State Park on Saturday evening, wasfound alive on Monday night, New York state police reported.
CBS6 Albany/Youtube
Speaking in apress conferencelate on Monday, Hochul revealed that investigators were led to her location after they discovered the key piece of evidence and ran it through police records.
“State police worked diligently trying to find a match for a fingerprint,” said Hochul. “The hit came at 2:30 in the afternoon. There had been a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) in 1999 in the city of Saratoga. A fingerprint was found that matched what was found on the ransom note."
“After some resistance, the suspect was taken into custody and immediately the little girl was found in a cabinet, covered and she was rescued,” she continued. She knew that she was being rescued. She knew that she was in safe hands.”
“She is in good hands. She appeared to be outwardly physically unharmed at the time,” Hochul said, adding that Charlotte had been transported to the hospital and that her family did not wish to release any further information at this time.
Hochul identified the suspect as 47-year-old Craig Nelson Ross Jr. and said he is still being questioned. “At this moment, charges have not been brought but they are fully expected,” she added.
Charlotte Sena.National Center of Missing and Exploited Children
National Center of Missing and Exploited Children
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The governor confirmed Charlotte’s disappearance from the state park in Saratoga in a press conference on Sunday.
After 15 minutes, Charlotte did not return, however.Fox Newsreported that her bike was reportedly found, but it is unclear who located it. It’s thought she went missing around 6:45 p.m. ET.
Charlotte’s family and other campers began searching for Charlotte, Hochul said, and hermother, Tricia, called 911 and New York State Police arrived around 15 minutes later.
On Sunday morning, the state police issued anAMBER alertfor “child abduction.”
After Charlotte was located, Hochulthanked authorities and investigatorson X (formerly known as Twitter) for their work.
“After a 48-hour-long search, Charlotte Sena has been found,” she wrote. “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.”
source: people.com
