Charlotte Sena is now safe and sound with her family after being kidnapped in New York. The 9-year-old girl disappeared last Saturday but, fortunately, was found two days later in a cabinet of an RV, all thanks to her alleged kidnapper's fingerprints.
Specifically, the kidnapper left a ransom note at Charlotte's parents' house on Monday morning: "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," explained the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, in statements reported by ABC.
Fingerprints matched another case from 24 years ago
That letter was sent to a laboratory where they extracted a fingerprint that turned out to match an arrest that had taken place in 1999 in Saratoga for drunk driving. This is how Craig Nelson Ross Jr., 47, was identified. Additionally, police discovered that the suspect owned a home located a few miles from the site of the kidnapping. That's where they found the suspect and arrested him.
The alleged kidnapper was later prosecuted on a first-degree kidnapping charge in Milton Municipal Court. Additionally, as a security measure, Craig Nelson Ross was transferred to the Saratoga County Jail where he is being held without bail.
The suspect may face more than just first-degree kidnapping charges. According to the State Police, additional charges could be filed that will be announced at a preliminary hearing that will take place on October 6. After this, the alleged kidnapper will appear before the judge on October 17.
Charlotte Sena's family thanks law enforcement
Meanwhile, the little girl's family issued a statement thanking law enforcement for acting quickly to find Charlotte Sena. Her aunt, Jené Sena, issued a statement to which CNN obtained access after learning that the alleged suspect had been arrested:
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, community, neighbors and hundreds of volunteers who supported us and worked tirelessly to bring Charlotte home.
