A mother says her nine-year-old daughter was abducted by a stranger even after she taught her exactly what to say if approached by an unknown adult.
Trisha Sena’s daughter Charlotte was riding her bike when she was kidnapped from Moreau State Park in upstate New York last year when a stranger asked her for help getting something out of his truck.
‘That is something that we talked about with our kids – that grownups don’t ask kids for help. They ask other grownups,’ Sena told Fox News.
Charlotte followed her mom’s careful instructions, telling the man – later identified as Craig Ross – that he could do it himself or ask another adult.
But Ross persisted, telling Charlotte his hands ‘were too big to reach in the back of his truck.’
The kind little girl agreed to help, only for Ross to pounce and throw her into the back of his van.
Trisha Sena’s daughter Charlotte was riding her bike when she was kidnapped from a park in New York last year when a stranger asked her for help getting something out of his truck
Charlotte is pictured after she was rescued. Her mother says the family has endured a horrific deal but that they are grateful to have their young daughter home
‘And he said, ‘My hands are too big. I can’t reach it in the back of my truck.’,’ Sena explained:
‘So she decided to help him. And at that point, he pushed her in the back of his truck and drove by our campsite with Charlotte in the back… and she was gone for 47 hours.’
Sena had also taught her children to always go out in pairs, but Charlotte was separated from the other kids before she was abducted.
‘Long story short, the role is, you go in pairs. You’re not allowed to go alone. They were riding bikes, and they wanted to come back,’ Sena explained.
‘And Charlotte said, ‘I’m just going to go one more time.’
‘She didn’t tell anybody. Everybody pulled in, and she kept pedaling. And unfortunately, someone was there waiting on the other side of the loop.’
Sena quickly realized that Charlotte was missing and called the police.
It was an agonizing 34 hours after the girl was abducted that police got a break in the case when a car a vehicle pulled up to the family’s home a short drive away from the campground, and the driver exited in the darkness to place a ransom note in the mailbox.
Law enforcement had been guarding the little girl’s home and watched the scene unfold.
Craig Ross Jr. was sentenced to 47 years to life in prison on kidnapping and sexual assault charges
Law enforcement is seen during the search for Charlotte in October 2023
The officers rushed to the mailbox, investigators quickly isolated fingerprints, connecting the print to the suspect and his white camper parked next to a doublewide trailer two miles away.
Police then descended on the camper, arresting 46-year-old Craig Ross Jr., and finding the girl in a cabinet.
Sena said the year that fallowed has been the hardest of her life but the family is working to move forward.
‘As a family, we’ve made a lot of progress moving forward. Charlotte has made a lot of progress moving forward,’ she told Fox News.
Following the terrifying experience, Sena has become advocate of updating Amber Alert laws and the Child Survivor Privacy Act.
Sena and her sister Jené is also asking for stronger sentences for child abusers.
‘I mean, these people who commit crimes against children are getting out in six months, or they’re getting off with time served.…
‘And it’s not protecting our children by allowing them back out on the streets,’ Jené said.
Ross was sentenced to 47 years to life in prison on kidnapping and sexual assault charges.
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