International

Suspect in kidnapping of 9-year-old Charlotte Sena in upstate New York identified

Published

1 year ago

October 4, 2023

Charlotte Sena, Craig N. Ross Jr.

Suspect in kidnapping of 9-year-old Charlotte Sena in upstate New York identified

A 47-year-old man charged with kidnapping 9-year-old Charlotte Sena at an upstate New York park and allegedly holding her in the cabinet of a camper he lived in next to his mother’s home has been identified by authorities.

Craig N. Ross Jr. is being held without bail Tuesday morning at the Saratoga County Correctional Facility on a charge of first-degree kidnapping, according to jail officials.

Charlotte was abducted from the Moreau Lake State Park in Saratoga County, New York, on Saturday evening, according to New York State Police. She disappeared around dinnertime on Saturday, while out riding her bike in the campground alone, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

The girl’s family and other campers went looking for her. Charlotte’s mother found her bike around 6:45 p.m. Saturday and called 911, police said.

In an interview with ABC News on Tuesday, State Police Col. Richard Allen denied some media reports that Charlotte’s bike was found in a ditch. He said the bike was recovered with its kickstand down.

An Amber Alert was issued for the missing child Saturday night and an intense search involving up to 400 local, state and federal law enforcement officers and firefighters was conducted at the sprawling park.

Hochul said at a Monday night news conference that the big break in the three-day search for the missing girl came early Monday morning, apparently from the suspect himself. At 4:20 a.m. a car pulled up to the Sena family’s home and what turned out to be a ransom note was left in the mailbox, Hochul said.

READ ALSO:

“He literally drove up to the family’s mailbox, assuming they were not home, 4:20 in the morning, opens the mailbox and inserts the ransom note, leaving a critical piece of evidence behind – his own fingerprint,” Hochul said.

State police had been guarding the home while Charlotte’s parents, David and Trisha Sena, were still at the campsite, Allen told ABC News on Tuesday. He said “people were stopping all night” at the house and the troopers assumed it was just a regular person dropping off items.

Using technology and detective work, investigators found a fingerprint on the ransom note and linked the note to a DWI arrest of Ross in 1999 in Saratoga, New York.

Hochal said a vehicle registered to Ross led investigators to a double-wide house in Ballston Spa, New York, where the suspect’s mother lives. Investigators learned Ross was staying in a camper behind the residence.

Allen said members of the State Police Special Operations Response Team and an FBI Regional SWAT team were assembled near the Ballston Spa home.

Allen said about 20 SPOR and FBI SWAT team members made what he described as a “dynamic entry” to the camper behind the house and took Ross into custody.

“[Ross] did give our SWAT people some resistance in there,” Allen said. “He did suffer some very minor injuries.”

Allen told ABC News Tuesday that Charlotte was found in a small closet space in the camper’s bedroom.

“She was very emotional when she saw officers,” Allen said.

The fourth-grader was in “good health” when she was rescued, according to police.

Allen said Charlotte was not wearing the same clothes she had on when she disappeared. He said she was dressed in an adult-size sweatshirt when she was found.

Allen said investigators briefly spoke to Ross following his arrest, but the interview was cut short when he requested a lawyer.

READ ALSO:

He said police interviewed the suspect’s mother, who was in her residence at the time of the raid. He said the mother seemed to be in shock.

Allen said Ross was not registered as a camper at Moreau Lake State Park, explaining that at this time of the year, visitors can come in and out of the park without registering. Allen said it remains unclear if the suspect had a vehicle inside the park or outside the park.

Authorities notified Charlotte’s parents at 6:32 p.m. ET Monday that their daughter had been rescued.

Hochul said the home where Ross was arrested is about 2 miles from the Sena residence, but it is not known at this time whether he knew Charlotte or had her under surveillance for any length of time.

Allen said Tuesday that investigators have yet to find any connection between Ross and Charlotte’s family.

“We are thrilled that she is home and we understand that the outcome is not what every family gets. A huge thank you to the FBI, the New York State Police, all of the agencies that were mobilized all of the families, friends, volunteers,” the Sena family said in a statement.

Ross has been charged with kidnapping in the first degree, an A-1 felony.

Following his arrest, Ross was questioned at the New York State Police barracks in Latham, New York, and then arraigned at the Milton Town Court. Details of the suspect’s interrogation were not released.

Ross was appointed a public defender. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 17.

Additional charges are anticipated, officials said.

Hochul said the investigation is still active and more search warrants were being executed.

“We want to make sure that [Ross] is not connected to any other cases. So, that’s why it’s still an ongoing investigation.”

Allen told ABC News Tuesday that investigators have not linked Ross to any other crimes.

Suspect in kidnapping of 9-year-old Charlotte Sena in upstate New York identified

ABC News

Related Topics:Charlotte Sena Kidnapping New York

Up Next

Israel retaliation kills 230 Palestinians after Hamas operation

Don't Miss

11-year-old charged, accused of taking mom’s gun to shoot 2 teens after fight at football practice

International

Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs

Published

14 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Trends Admin

Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs

BEIRUT: Israeli strikes pounded a densely-populated part of the Lebanese capital and its southern suburbs on Tuesday, hours ahead of an anticipated announcement of a ceasefire ending hostilities between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

A strike on Beirut hit the Noueiri district with no evacuation warning and killed at least one person, Lebanon’s health ministry said in a preliminary toll.

READ ALSO:

Minutes later, at least 10 Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs. They began approximately 30 minutes after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for 20 locations in the area, the largest such warning yet.

As the strikes were under way, Israel’s military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the air force was conducting a “widespread attack” on Hezbollah targets across the city.

Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs

ARAB NEWS

International

Over $100m wasted, Trump mocks Democrats for targeting him

Published

15 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Trends Admin

President-elect Donald Trump

Over $100m wasted, Trump mocks Democrats for targeting him

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has fiercely criticised the legal cases brought against him, calling them “empty and lawless”.

He accused Democrats of weaponising the judicial system to target him as a political opponent.

In a strongly worded statement, Trump alleged that over $100 million in taxpayer money had been wasted in what he described as a politically driven effort to undermine his influence.

“Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before,” he said, pointing to high-profile prosecutors, including Georgia’s Fani Willis and New York Attorney General Letitia James, as key figures in what he called a “political hijacking.”

READ ALSO:

Trump also accused Willis of colluding with Nathan Wade, whom he described as “her lover” and lacking the experience to handle such cases.

He claimed Wade was paid “millions,” allegedly enabling lavish trips and cruises.

Letitia James, who is pursuing a civil fraud case against Trump, was also criticised.

Over $100m wasted, Trump mocks Democrats for targeting him

International

US-based Nigerians get 30-year sentence over $3.5m romance scam

Published

15 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Trends Admin

US-based Nigerians get 30-year sentence over $3.5m romance scam

A United States federal jury sentenced two Nigerians, Anthony Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu, to 30 years in prison for scamming certain US citizens $3,500,000.

This was mentioned in a news statement made public on the US Department of Justice website on Monday.

According to the statement, the Nigerians, Ibekie and Aniukwu mislead their victims by informing them that they had received big inheritances that required payment to claim.

The couple would then ask their victims to transfer money, promising to refund them after the inheritances were claimed.

It also stated that the duo carried out romance scams by establishing romantic relationships with their victims and demanding them to send money after they had built trust in their victims.

It read, “An undercover law enforcement investigation has resulted in federal prison sentences for two Nigerian nationals residing in the Chicago suburbs who conducted online inheritance scams and other fraud schemes.

“Using aliases, Anthony Emeka Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu communicated with victims throughout the United States, convincing them they had received substantial inheritances and needed to send money to individuals associated with the defendants in order to claim it.

“In addition to the inheritance scam, the pair carried out an online romance scam that involved communicating with victims via social media and dating websites, building trust with the victims through a purported online romance, and convincing them to send money to a predetermined recipient. Aniukwu and Ibekie also orchestrated a ‘business email compromise’ scam that targeted corporate email accounts.

READ ALSO:

“The fraud schemes were uncovered by a covert law enforcement investigation. The scams resulted in losses to victims of at least $3.5 million.”

According to the statement, after being arraigned on 14 charges, the duo pleaded guilty to their different alterations.

Following their guilty pleas, Ibekie was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday, and Aniukwu was sentenced to 10 years in prison on November 8.

The statement continued, “A federal jury earlier this year convicted Ibekie, 59, of Oswego, Illinois, on all 14 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a bank, and passport fraud. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger on Thursday sentenced Ibekie to 20 years in federal prison.

“Aniukwu, 50, of Romeoville, Illinois, pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and money laundering charges. Judge Seeger on Nov. 8, 2024, sentenced Aniukwu to 10 years in prison.”

Meanwhile, Jennifer Gosha, an accomplice of the Nigerians and a US citizen, is expected to be sentenced on December 18 after pleading guilty.

“A third defendant, Jennifer Gosha, 52, a U.S. citizen from Oak Park, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of wire fraud and making false statements to a federal agent. Gosha is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Seeger on December 18, 2024,” the statement concluded.