MOREAU, N.Y. — An Amber Alert was issued on Sunday morning for a 9-year-old girl who went missing from a campsite in upstate New York.
Charlotte Sena was last seen at about 6:47 p.m. EDT on Saturday at Moreau Lake State Park, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a news conference on Sunday.
“On a picture-perfect fall day here in Upstate New York, Charlotte Sena’s family and friends gathered for a weekend of friendship and food and enjoying one of the last few days of good weather,” Hochul told reporters. “But instead, the day turned into every parent’s nightmare.”
***AMBER ALERT UPDATED DESCRIPTION*** PLEASE SHARE! NYSP has activated AMBER Alert for a child abduction that occurred near Moreau Lake State Park in Gansevoort, NY at about 6:45 PM on 9/30/2023. Anyone with any information should call the NYSP at (518) 457-6811 or dial 911. pic.twitter.com/vE6YGbdDP9
— NewYorkStatePolice (@nyspolice) October 1, 2023
Officials with the New York State Police believe Sena is in danger due to the overnight low temperatures in the area, WNYT-TV reported.
State police believe that the fourth-grader, from Greenfield, New York, was abducted, the Times Union of Albany reported.
Police said the girl is 4 feet, 6 inches tall with blond hair, green eyes and weighs about 90 pounds. She was wearing a Pokemon shirt, blue pants and black Crocs when she was last seen on Saturday, according to the newspaper.
The Amber Alert, which was issued 16 hours after she went missing, stated that Sena “was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death.”
Sena and her family were on a two-night camping trip when she went for a bicycle ride alone, WNYT reported. She never returned, and police confirmed that the child’s bicycle was later found, according to the Times Union.
Hochul said that a command post was set up at the state park and that more than 100 personnel were deployed to assist in the search, the newspaper reported.
Stephanie O’Neil, the public information officer for State Police Troop G, said that Sena had been to the park before but was not overly familiar with it.
“She is a highly intelligent, adventurous 9-year-old -- but obviously this is out of character for her,” O’Neil told the Times Union on Sunday.
“We’ll keep the members of the public updated. I promised her parents we’ll find their daughter,” Hochul told reporters. “She’s all of our daughters. Their family needs love. They need prayers. And if you know anything, if you’ve seen anything, you hear anything, please contact 911 to tell us what you know and what you may contribute to the search for this little girl.”
Officials are asking that anyone with information should call 518-457-6811 or email crimetip@troopers.ny.gov.
