The family of 9-year-old Charlotte Sena, who was found hiding in a camper cabinet belonging to the man accused of abducting her, has spoken out for the first time since she was found, saying they are grateful they were able to bring her home safely.
“We are so happy that he is home, and we understand that the outcome is not what every family gets,” the Sena family said in a statement to CBS 6.
“A big thank you to the FBI, the New York State Police, all the agencies that were mobilized, all the families, friends, communities, neighbors, and the hundreds of volunteers who supported us and worked tirelessly to bring Charlotte home.”
The young girl was found Monday night, following a two-day search in the area around Lake Moreau State Park, where Charlotte was camping with her family.
He decided to ride his bike through a picnic area in an upstate New York park but never returned.
His bike was found a short time later, and a 100-man search team consisting of state troopers, special operations, forest rangers, park police and civilian volunteers quickly converged on the scene.
Charlotte Sena, 9, went missing Saturday afternoon while riding her bike through Lake Moreau State Park, where she was camping with her family. APCharlotte’s parents, David and Trisha, expressed their gratitude in a statement. Facebook/Trisha Sena
The big break came on Monday morning when a man reportedly dropped a ransom note containing fingerprints in the Sena family’s mailbox.
Investigators entered the prints into their database and matched them to Craig Ross Jr., 47, who was arrested in Saratoga in 1999 on a DWI charge, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news conference Monday night.
“He literally drove to the family’s mailbox, assuming they weren’t home [at] 4:20 a.m., opened the mailbox and inserted a ransom note leaving critical evidence — his own fingerprints,” the governor said.
Craig Ross Jr., 47, was arraigned Tuesday morning on kidnapping charges and ordered held without bond.
Two law enforcement teams in a helicopter descended on the Ballston Spa address where the suspect had pitched his tent behind his mother’s house and arrested him “after some resistance” at about 6:30 p.m., Hochul said.
“Immediately the little girl was found in the cabinet closet,” the governor said. “He was saved and he knew he was being saved. He knows that he is in safe hands.”
The girl’s parents were notified that she was rescued and appeared to be “physically unharmed,” but she was still taken to a local hospital as a precaution.
He is now doing “very, very well,” said family friend Patrick Cane.
Sena family friend Patrick Cane told “Fox & Friends” that he thinks Charlotte will be fine.Fox News
“If you met his parents, you’d say he’s going to be fine,” Cane claimed on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning, adding: “His parents are the reason he’s the way he is.
“His father, who I knew well, was always upbeat — he was a fun guy,” Cane said.
“There will be healing, of course, but it’s a beautiful story for a great family,” he said.
Meanwhile, police are expected to continue questioning Ross to see if he has been stalking Charlotte, if he is a pedophile, or if he is just a criminal trying to cash in on her ransom, Newsweek reported.
They will also speak to his family and friends about his whereabouts and character, while comparing his DNA to a database of child abduction cases as he remains in jail without bail.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
