Suspect in girl's abduction from NY park was found through fingerprints on ransom note, governor says

A 9-year-old girl missing for roughly 48 hours has been found safe and a "suspect is in custody" following a massive manhunt in upstate New York, police said.

Fingerprints left on a ransom note aided in the successful conclusion of the girl's mysterious disappearance over the weekend, Gov. Kathy Hochul said late Monday. That fingerprint, she said at a new conference, belonged to Craig Ross Jr.

Hochul said while the rest of girl's family remained at the campground where she had gone missing, police watching their home saw someone drop a note in their mailbox at 4:20 a.m. Monday. State police pulled fingerprints off the note and the second one matched Ross, who was in a database from a 1999 DWI case, Hochul said.

Law enforcement agents linked Ross to a house owned by his mother, made entry and found him in a camper behind the home at about 6:30 p.m., she said. The governor said that the note, combined with cellphone data and attendance records from Moreau Lake State Park, were instrumental in tracking down Ross and finding the girl.

“After some resistance, the suspect was taken into custody and immediately the little girl was found in a cabinet,” Hochul said. “She knew she was being rescued. She knew that she was in safe hands.”

The 9-year-old was taken to a local hospital, as is customary, Hochul said, adding that she appeared physically unharmed and that she and her family have been reunited. She was found hiding inside a cabinet in the camper.

"We are thrilled that she is home and we understand that the outcome is not what every family gets. A huge thank you to the FBI, the New York State police, all of the multiple agencies that were mobilized, all of the families, friends, and hundreds of volunteers for assisting in her safe return," a message from the girl's aunt read.

The governor named Ross as the suspect late Monday night. The 46-year-old was charged with first-degree kidnapping and was remanded without bail. He is expected back in court on Oct. 17, and it wasn't immediately known if he had a lawyer to comment on his behalf. Police have said other charges are likely as well.

New York State Police released a statement around 7 p.m. Monday saying the girl had been found in "good health," and that the investigation into her disappearance was still active.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers, forest rangers and others spent two days searching the park for the girl who vanished during a camping trip over the weekend. Police feared she had been abducted while riding her bicycle Saturday evening in Moreau Lake State Park, about 35 miles north of Albany.

About 400 people took part in the search Monday, up from more than 100 the day before, state police said. The searchers included state and local police, forest rangers, local volunteer firefighters, and some private search and rescue groups, officials said. Authorities also requested help from the FBI.

Troopers set up several checkpoints on the rural roads around the park. They stopped drivers and asked if they knew the family, had seen the girl’s photo or had any other information. They also had some drivers open their trunks.

The park remained closed Monday because of the search, and officials asked members of the public who showed up hoping to help to stay away and leave the search to professionals.

The girl, a fourth grader from nearby Greenfield, had been riding her bike around a loop in the bucolic park with other children when she decided to ride around one more time by herself. Her parents became alarmed when she failed to return after 15 minutes, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a briefing Sunday.

The girl's mother called 911 after her bicycle was found at around 6:45 p.m. Saturday.

Officials issued an Amber Alert on Sunday morning after an exhaustive search because "it was quite possible that an abduction had taken place," state police Lt. Colonel Richard Mazzone said.