Ransom Note Fingerprint Leads to Kidnapper’s Arrest

A fingerprint on a ransom note led to the arrest of a man who allegedly kidnapped nine-year-old Charlotte Sena from New York’s Moreau Lake State Park, setting off an Amber Alert and scrambling search parties after she disappeared on an outing with her family. 

Craig N. Ross Jr., 46, was arrested 14 hours after putting a $50,000 demand in the family’s mailbox while teams of law enforcement officers and volunteers combed the area for her. A fingerprint lifted off the note was matched to Ross, who was in a state database from a decades-old DWI arrest. The girl was found in a cupboard in a trailer used by the suspect, who was taken in after a brief struggle. 

The state trooper posted outside the girl’s home drew fire for not arresting him, but a police spokesman said people were stopping by all night, and Ross was considered to be a “regular person.” He may have made the girl write the note, according to reports.

Back in 1999, Saratoga Springs Police Officer Kristen VanWert arrested Ross for driving while intoxicated. She captured what was described as a “perfect fingerprint,” which found its way into the state database. “Back then, we were still doing ink and we were rolling their fingers,” VanWert said. “It wasn’t computerized at that time.” Charged with first-degree kidnapping, a felony, Ross was arraigned and sent to the Saratoga County jail without bail.