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The 9-year-old girl who authorities suspected was abducted Saturday in an upstate New York state park was found alive, state police said Monday night.
“Charlotte Sena has been located and in good health,” state police said in a statement. A suspect is in custody, state police said.
On Monday night, state police said, investigators learned of a person who was “in the area” of Moreau Lake State Park about when Charlotte went missing. Multiple residences where the person was known to stay were searched, state police said.
The child was found safe and in good health about 6:32 p.m., state police said, and the suspect was taken into custody.
“This investigation is a culmination of multiple agencies working together for the common goal of bringing this child home to her loving family,” state police said.
The investigation remains ongoing, according to state police.
Officials plan to hold a news conference on Tuesday, state police said.
NBC News correspondent Kristen Dahlgren posted video on social media of the girl’s family clapping and cheering to the news Monday night that Charlotte was found safe. Multiple people in the video offered thank yous.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul praised investigators on social media for a swift resolution.
“After a 48-hour-long search, Charlotte Sena has been found. Extremely grateful to @nyspolice, @NYStateParks police, and all of our partners who worked tirelessly to locate Charlotte and ensure she could return home safely to her family,” Hochul wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The girl was riding a bike by herself at the state park in Saratoga County on Saturday night when she went missing.
Shortly before, she was camping with her family when she was last seen around 6:15 p.m., state police said.
The girl was biking around a park loop with family friends and then did a loop by herself, authorities said.
Her bike was found on the loop.
State police activated an Amber Alert on Sunday, “for a child abduction” that occurred around 6:45 Saturday night.
Circumstances of the girl’s disappearance led police to suspect the child was in “imminent danger of serious harm and/or death,” according to the the Amber Alert.
State police said earlier on Monday that about 400 certified search and rescue personnel were looking for the girl over a distance that spanned 46 linear miles.
FBI and U.S. Marshals Service were assisting, state police said.
The investigation was classified as a missing child case, state police said.
Charlotte’s aunt, Jene Sena, told NBC News on Monday that her niece vanished in only minutes.
“She disappeared almost into thin air. I mean it was, minutes, minutes, between when she was last seen and when she wasn’t there anymore,” Sena said.
The state park where the child disappeared from is about 50 miles north of Albany.
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