A 9-year-old girl who had disappeared during a family camping trip in upstate New York was declared “safe and in good health” on Monday following an extensive two-day search that culminated in her rescue and the apprehension of a suspected abductor, according to the police.

Charlotte Sena had gone missing while riding her bicycle on Saturday evening at Moreau Lake State Park, a densely wooded area located approximately 35 miles (60 kilometers) north of Albany.

During a news conference on Monday night, Governor Kathy Hochul revealed that investigators had managed to identify a fingerprint from a ransom note, purportedly left by the suspect, whom she identified as Craig Nelson Ross Jr., aged 47. Hochul described the turn of events as “extraordinary.”

Governor Hochul explained that while the rest of Charlotte’s family remained at the campground where she had disappeared, law enforcement personnel stationed at their residence observed an individual dropping a note in their mailbox at 4:20 a.m. on Monday, the Associated Press reported.

State police retrieved fingerprints from the note, and the second set matched Ross. He was in a database from a 1999 DWI case, according to Hochul.

Authorities linked Ross to a property owned by his mother, gained entry, and located him in a camper around 6:30 p.m., as per the governor.

“After some resistance, the suspect was taken into custody and immediately the little girl was found in a cabinet,” Hochul said. “She knew she was being rescued. She knew that she was in safe hands.”

Written by staff