Suspect Craig Nelson Ross Jr's chilling link to Charlotte Sena's home after he's charged with kidnap
CRAIG Nelson Ross Jr. has been charged with kidnapping following the disappearance of Charlotte Sena.
Sena, nine, vanished while biking in a New York park on Saturday, sparking a widespread search probe with an Amber Alert issued.
Two days later, the schoolgirl was rescued and Ross Jr, 46, was arrested and taken into custody. He has since been charged.
It's since emerged that a vehicle registered to Ross Jr. was linked to an address located a short distance from Sena’s family home in Porter Corners.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul confirmed the connection at a press conference on Monday.
Property records seen by The U.S. Sun also showed a prior address associated with the suspect in Porter Corners.
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Hochul stressed that there’s no indication that Ross Jr had any link with Sena’s family.
Sena was found inside a cabinet in a trailer and was taken to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Ross Jr.’s camper was located next to his mom’s home in Milton, New York.
Hochul revealed that a man pulled up to a mailbox in front of Sena's family home at around 4.20am on Monday. The property was being guarded by cops at the time.
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She said: "He drove up to the family's mailbox assuming they were not at home.
“[He] opens the mailbox, enters the ransom note, leaving a critical piece of information behind - the ransom note."
It has emerged that Sena’s family was not home at the time when Ross Jr. swooped on the property.
Fingerprints were discovered on the note and cops were able to match these to a DWI arrest that stemmed back to 1999.
Cops raided a series of properties as part of their probe before Ross Jr was snared.
State police and FBI SWAT teams swooped on the trailer and Ross Jr. was injured while he was being arrested.
Police said that Ross Jr. struggled when he was being handcuffed.
'SOMETHING WRONG'
Sena was on a family camping trip in the Moreau Lake State Park - located around 35 miles north of Albany - before she vanished.
She had been cycling with other children and she decided to do another loop in the park.
But her family became concerned when she failed to return after around 15 minutes.
Sena’s family searched frantically before the child’s bike was found in the woods and they called 911.
Hochul revealed that the family suspected “something was wrong” when Sena didn’t return.
She said: "They called her name. People started searching, and people from other campgrounds joined."
Charlotte's mom Trisha Sena told The Times-Union that her daughter was a good child.
She said it was out of character for Sena to run away.
COPS FEAR
An Amber Alert was issued as police suspected that Sena could’ve been abducted.
It warned: “The child was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death.”
Aviation crews, drones, volunteers, law enforcement teams, and dogs were frantically scrambled as part of the search probe.
Investigators told the Times Union that they were examining a range of theories that could’ve offered an insight into Sena’s disappearance.
On Monday, a police source said the probe was centered on the line that Sena’s disappearance may have been “the result of someone deliberately targeting the girl or her family," as reported by the outlet.
Sena was found and Hochul said that the young girl appeared “outwardly physically unharmed.”
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Ross was arraigned on first-degree kidnapping charges and held without bail, per The Times Union.
He could appear in court on October 17 although a preliminary bail appearance may take place this Friday.
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