FBI joins search for possibly abducted 9-year-old girl Charlotte Sena at New York state park
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on October 2, 2023
(SARATOGA COUNTY, N.Y.) — The FBI has joined the search for a 9-year-old girl who may have been kidnapped over the weekend while on a bike ride at an upstate New York park, authorities said.
As the search for Charlotte E. Sena stretched into its third day Monday, the girl’s family made a desperate plea for any clues about her whereabouts.
“We just want her returned safely like any parent would,” the girl’s family said in a statement. “No tip is too small, please call if you know anything at all.”
Charlotte was last seen at the Moreau Lake State Park in Saratoga County, New York, at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, according to New York State Police. An Amber Alert was issued for her and remains in effect.
The child may have been abducted from the park, according to a post by state police.
“The day turned into every parent’s nightmare,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a news conference on Sunday.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed to ABC News on Monday that its agents are “assisting our partners at the NYS Police with any technological and investigative needs.”
About 400 certified search-and-rescue personnel from multiple local, state and federal law enforcement agencies as of Monday afternoon and 34 volunteer fire departments as well as private search-and-rescue groups were combing the 6,250-acre Moreau Lake State Park for any signs of the missing child, officials said. Drones, bloodhounds and an airboat are being deployed in the search
The investigation remains classified as a missing child case, according to the New York State Police.
Moreau Lake State Park remains closed indefinitely to the public. People are being asked to avoid the area as the search continues.
The search being led by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers has expanded over 46 linear miles, officials said Monday.
A temporary flight restriction has been issued by the Federal Aviation Administration over the park “to ensure the safety of our aircraft operations,” according to the New York State Police.
Charlotte, of Greenfield, New York, disappeared while on a bike ride at the campground where she was staying with family and friends, Hochul said at the news conference.
Hochul said Charlotte was out around dinnertime on Sunday riding her bike in the campground with friends she considers cousins. She said the fourth-grade girl was doing one last lap around the park alone when she went missing.
The girl’s family and other campers went looking for her and her mother found her bike around 6:45 p.m. Saturday and called 911, police said.
Charlotte was on Loop A at the park when she disappeared, according to police.
Authorities believe it is “quite possible” an abduction took place because investigators have already completed an “exhausted search” of the state park, New York State Police Lt. Col. Richard Mazzone told reporters.
A New York State Police command post has been established at the state park, Hochul said.
Patrick Kane, a friend of Charlotte’s father, joined the search at the park on Monday.
“Hug your children first of all. Say a prayer that this resolves itself in a safe manner,” Kane told ABC News Albany affiliate station WTEN. “I think we just want to be on guard, ready to do whatever needs to be done. Every little bit helps whether you saw something or you think of something. This little girl needs you.”
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