New York authorities are defending state troopers who failed to follow the man who was later arrested as a suspect in Charlotte Sena’s kidnapping when he dropped off a ransom note – saying the girl’s panicked family is receiving congratulations.
New York State Police spokeswoman Deanna Cohen insisted to the New York Times that it did not seem unusual that Craig N. Ross Jr., 46, would post the note around 4:20 a.m. Monday at the Sena family’s home in Corinth because visitors had been coming “throughout night.”
“Like many other incidents where families experience something traumatic, we expect there will be a steady flow of traffic in front of the home throughout the night to show support for the family,” NYSP public information officer Stephanie O’Neil added to Fox News digital.
Craig Ross is in custody without bail. Saratoga County Jail
While Charlotte’s parents were staying at the state campground where their daughter disappeared, “vehicles had been intermittently passing the house [before the note was dropped],” he explained.
Still, the military personnel were cautious enough to note that Ross’s visit “looked suspicious,” Cohen told the Times.
“And that’s when he checked the mailbox and found the note,” she recounted.
While authorities await the results of the fingerprint analysis on the note, police are also canvassing the surrounding area for matching vehicles, O’Neil explained.
Charlotte Sena was returned to her family 48 hours after she was kidnapped. New York State Police
“After finding the letter, they immediately informed the description of the vehicle to the non-commissioned officer in charge, and ‘caution’ was issued to all patrols around it,” he said.
At the same time, local cell towers were pinged for possible evidence and the search area expanded, the Times reported.
Finally, at about 2:30 p.m., the fingerprint results yielded a match to Ross, who was on the books in 1999 for driving under the influence, the outlet said.
Police later learned that Ross lived at his mother’s home in Ballston Spa, just a few miles from Senas, and was “in the Moreau Lake State Park area” at the time of the abduction, according to the Times.
Police investigate Ross’s property, a trailer behind his mother’s house.Daniel William McKnight
A news release identifying Ross — who reportedly has MS and is struggling to make ends meet — was issued around 4 a.m., while state and federal tactical teams prepared for a rescue operation.
Authorities — including an FBI SWAT team and two helicopter crews — descended on Ross’ trailer around 6:30, and within minutes, Charlotte was rescued and the suspect was being questioned.
Although some viewers argued that the police should have acted faster to find the girl earlier, experts supported the NYSP’s claim that the operation was carried out as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
“At first when you look at it, it sounds bad: Like, why don’t they just go after them [Monday morning]? But I think it was a good move by the military to wait,” former NYPD sergeant and adjunct professor of law and criminal science Joseph L. Giacalone told the Times.
The investigation is ongoing, and Ross is expected to face additional charges, police said. Daniel William McKnight
While there may be a push to unmask Ross immediately, Giacalone said, there are likely pressing considerations about preserving evidence and possible dangerous accomplices to consider as well.
“Even if the police do everything right, they’re wrong,” he lamented to Fox News Digital.
“Policing should be very easy because everyone on the internet can do it.”
In addition to the list of procedures being carried out, the military personnel likely did not guard Sena’s house statically from the front door, Giacalone said.
Charlotte Sena went missing for 48 hours and was found not far from where she was last seen.
“If you stop every individual that shows up, and the suspect shows up and sees the police there, you scare him,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.”
Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD inspector, agreed with Giacalone’s analysis.
“No one would have thought of the idea of paying a ransom,” he told Fox.
“They got the guy fast, it seems he was right, and the girl is alive. When it comes to kidnapping, you can’t do better than that.”
As of Thursday, Ross — who is being investigated for sexually abusing a 12-year-old acquaintance in a case dropped last month by state police — was in custody without bail in Saratoga County.
He faces one count of first-degree kidnapping, and will likely face more charges as the investigation continues, police said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
