On Saturday, nine-year-old Charlotte Sena disappeared from the family vacation while she, along with some friends, was cycling around Moreau State Park in New York.
Family, friends and other camping visitors launched a huge search for the girl. Suddenly, her bicycle was found, abandoned, and the parents reported the nine-year-old missing.
About a hundred people took part in the search, together with helicopters, drones, boats, divers and search dogs. But Charlotte was not found.
On Sunday, a so-called “Amber alert” went out, an international search that automatically goes out to the media when a child is suspected of having been kidnapped.
Hit from 24 year old crime
Early Monday morning, someone left a note in the family’s mailbox. On the note was what is believed to be a ransom that the family would pay to get Charlotte back.
The police seized the note and immediately began searching their records for matching fingerprints.
In the afternoon, the police had a hit. In 1999, a person had driven under the influence of drugs in a nearby town. The fingerprint from the over 20-year-old crime matched the fingerprint on the note – which belonged to a 47-year-old man.
The police acted quickly and carried out a drastic raid on the man’s home, which he shared with his mother. The suspect was found in a mobile home behind the house, who was immediately arrested.
Nine-year-old Charlotte Sena was found stuffed in a cupboard in the mobile home – well preserved.
“Every parent’s worst nightmare”
On Monday evening, local time, New York Governor Kathy Hochul held an emotional press conference after 48 hours of intense searching.
– It is quite overwhelming. We all feared the worst, she said.
– After every hour, hope disappeared more and more. And we all know how it usually goes – the first 24 hours there is hope. But when 48 hours have passed, the hope usually subsides. Charlotte’s disappearance was every parent’s worst nightmare.