03 October 2023 , 13:35
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A nine-year-old girl was found safe after being kidnapped off her bike while vacationing at a campground with her family, while the suspect has been arrested and charged for her abduction.
The girl's aunt says the child disappeared within minutes. Charlotte's aunt, Jené Sena, spoke with Nancy Grace on a podcast the night before the girl was recovered. "The proximity was so close, she was so close, the course was visible... where she was left and last seen and where they found her bike was visible," says Sena.
Charlotte Sena, 9, went missing while on a bike ride at Moreau Lake State Park when she was riding her bike with some other children. She decided she would do one more loop on her own, but her parents became concerned after the young girl did not come back - within 10 minutes, the police were called.
READ MORE: Charlotte Sena: Six mysteries surrounding abducted girl as map shows area she vanished
Charlotte was reunited with her family after being taken to a local hospital and released (NY State Police)
A statement from state police said that Charlotte was safe and a suspect was in custody"[The area] is mostly tents, but people have those little pop-up campers [tents], and around that, a loop that goes around that and it goes one way. This was during dinner time, when everyone was out on their site. It wasn't quite dark yet. It was close to a forest. Everyone was out and about, and that's what's so crazy about it," continues Jené.
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The campsite at the state park is about 50 miles above Albany, far upstate. It's very close to the family home, 10-15 minutes away. "They love to camp, and they camp on the cape and different places, but this was their close-by spot. I don't think she was super familiar with it, but they have a group of friends that they camp with regularly," explained the aunt.
Charlotte Sena family is celebrating their daughter being found alive"Very good longtime friends of my brother and sister-in-law who have kids the same age. Charlotte was with her sister and her friend, who was around the same age. They were apparently done bike riding, but Charlotte said, 'let's do one more,' but the friend put down the bike, and Charlotte went off by herself," says the aunt.
"About 10 minutes had gone by... they were cooking dinner. [The other friend] had his back turned to the loop because he was at the grill, and Tricia [Charlotte's mother] took the little one, the 3-year-old, to the bathroom, and when they got back, it was like, 'where's Charlotte?' It was such a short amount of time."
Craig Ross Jr, 46, was arraigned on a first-degree kidnapping charge in the early hours of this morning"If you're just walking at a normal pace, it takes 15 minutes to go around the loop" where Charlotte disappeared, seemingly in full view of her family and their friends, according to the relative of the girl.
"It took them a couple of minutes to walk... The other little girl had taken them to where she left Charlotte... it must've been 20 feet away.. and that's where they found her bike. There may have been a minute of looking for her, but then her mother called the police," continued Jené.
When a child disappears, every minute is precious. The family noticed the girl was missing almost immediately and alerted officers within 10 minutes of the kidnapping.
The suspect's camper, where Charlotte was found, seen bottom left, is next to his mother's house in Milton, NY (Google Maps)Sena also told her niece to remain strong. “Hang in there, girl, you are tough. You are tough, and I know that wherever you are, you are getting through this," she said. "I don’t doubt she would figure out a way to escape if she were being held. I don’t doubt that she would figure out a way to somehow call for help."
Sena pleaded with any captors to free her niece. "Please let her come home," she said. "Let her come home because this is heart-wrenching, this is gut-wrenching."
Luckily, the girl was found safely. Craig Nelson Ross Jr is now charged with first-degree kidnapping, a felony. He was arraigned in Milton Town Court early Tuesday morning, according to Saratoga County Jail officials. He is being held without bail, and additional charges are pending.