NEW YORK – The intense search for 9-year-old Charlotte Sena, who disappeared from a popular state park in upstate New York while camping with her family, ended Monday evening with the announcement that she has been found safe. New York State Police said in a brief statement that she is “in good health” and a suspect is in custody.
Details of how she was found have not yet been released.
“We are overjoyed at the news that Charlotte Sena has been located safely this evening after an intense days-long search,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “Our hearts are with her family as they welcome her home.Thank you to the New York State Police, New York Park Police and all who worked so tirelessly to find Charlotte. It is because of their efforts that Charlotte will be able to return home safe to her family.”
An AMBER Alert was issued for Charlotte after she disappeared Saturday night, and CBS New York learned that the FBI joined the search for the missing girl. Gov. Hochul called the disappearance “every parent’s nightmare.”
Here’s a look at some of what we learned as the search unfolded:
Who is Charlotte Sena and where is she from?
Charlotte Sena is 9 years old. She’s 4’6″ tall, weighs about 90 pounds, has blonde hair and green eyes.
She was wearing an orange, tie-dyed Pokemon shirt, dark blue pants, black Crocs, and a grey bike helmet when she disappeared.
While she was missing, her aunt Jené Sena pleaded for information to help find Charlotte.
“She is a blonde, adorable 9-year-old little girl with bangs. She has green eyes, just under 5 feet tall and she is just a sweet, adorable girl,” Jené Sena said.
Charlotte and her family live in Greenfield, N.Y. which is roughly 12 miles from where she went missing.
What do we know about where and how she was found, and who the suspect is?
New York State Police have not released many details about how they discovered where Charlotte was as yet, but here’s what we know so far.
New York State Police said they “identified an individual as being in the area” of the park around the time Charlotte went missing in Moreau Lake State Park.
Police said they then searched “multiple residences where the individual is known to reside.”
Charlotte Sena was found “safe and in good health” during the search of those residences just after 6:30 p.m. Monday night.
The suspect, whose name has not yet been released, has been taken into custody.
“We cannot emphasize enough how appreciative we are for the support we received from Charlotte’s community, friends and family,” New York State Police said in a statement.
A news conference about Charlotte’s recovery is set for Tuesday.
Where did Charlotte Sena go missing?
Sena disappeared Saturday while visiting Moreau Lake State Park, a popular campground in Gansevoort, about 190 miles north of New York City.
Charlotte and her family were camping in the Southeast corner of the park, in a campground area known as Loop A.
Here’s a look at the map of Moreau Lake State Park:
parks.ny.gov
Charlotte had been bike riding with her friends Saturday when she decided to do one more loop on her own. That’s when she disappeared. It all happened within 15 minutes.
Concerns grew that she may have been abducted. Authorities said when they located her that they had a suspect in custody.
The park was closed indefinitely while the search for Charlotte was underway.
What about Charlotte Sena’s family?
Charlotte was at the campground with her parents David and Trisha Sena.
Hochul said Charlotte’s family realized almost immediately that something was wrong when Charlotte didn’t return from her bike ride at around 6:15 p.m.
“Her parents knew immediately something was up. They called her name. People started searching, people from other campgrounds joined. And 30 minutes later, at 6:47, Charlotte’s mother, Trisha, called 911. The scene was chaotic. People leaving their food, leaving their tables, just everyone in search, calling the name, ‘Charlotte, Charlotte,'” Hochul said.
State Police arrived on the scene by 7 p.m. Saturday night.
Charlotte was recovered a little before 7 p.m. Monday. So far, police have not released much information about the suspect.
What if you have information about the search for Charlotte Sena?
A team led by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers was involved in the search for Charlotte Sena. They said the search search area encompassed more than 46 miles, and involved more than 400 certified search and rescue personnel from law enforcement, volunteer fire departments, and private search and rescue groups.
State Police are asking anyone who visited Moreau Lake State Park Saturday to contact them by emailing [email protected].
“When a child disappears, members of the community often have information they do not realize is valuable. This information is crucial in establishing a timeline of what happened,” State Police said in a statement.
Anyone with any information about Charlotte’s whereabouts was asked to call 911 or the New York State Police at (518) 457-6811.
“Charlotte is a bright and adventurous girl who loves to be outside. Charlotte has a huge heart and wants to create a club at her school for kids who don’t have friends. She always put others first. Please know that we continue to work around the clock to bring Charlotte home,” New York State Police said in a statement before she was found.
