Awesome news, and happy parents.

**JFlightRisk** · 10-02-2023, 06:36 PM

Nine-year-old Charlotte Sena has been found safe, and in good health. Details are still forthcoming as it's still an active investigation, but a suspect is in custody. The Amber Alert has been cancelled, and we thank the 400+ volunteers and law enforcement that have tirelessly looked for her over the past 48 hours.

craigav · 10-02-2023, 06:41 PM

Good news for sure!!!

Parcany · 10-02-2023, 08:33 PM

This is great

LuckyDuck · 10-02-2023, 11:24 PM

That is wonderful news — thanks for the update JFlightRisk. And hats off to all of those who helped in the search.

The incident was deja vu for us as a similar thing happened this summer when we were camping in a large Oregon state park. A 7-year-old girl was similarly missing while riding her bike. We never did hear the outcome, but assume she was found.

Sadly, it wasn’t a total shock to us as we watched kids as young as 3 or 4 racing around the campground loops with no adults in sight. The trails branching off were heavily wooded and the chances of a child disappearing seemed real. For parents camping in these places, please don’t assume it’s safe just because it’s a campground. Keep your little ones in sight.

Marcm157 · 10-03-2023, 03:58 AM

Great news! All too often these stories don't end on a happy note. Now the child needs to begin the healing process.

**norty1** · 10-03-2023, 05:44 AM

Just saw it on tv and am happy to see a good outcome on one finally! It sounds like some fine police work!

**JFlightRisk** · 10-03-2023, 06:56 AM

Update: The suspect was camping there at the park. A 47 or 48 year old from Balston Spa NY put a ransom note in the parents' mailbox at 4 am. He left fingerprints on the note, and they were in the system from a prior DWI arrest in the 90s. Charlotte was found in a "cabinet in his camper" when they raided his address.

He's charged with first degree kidnapping. The swift end to this is amazing work by all the law enforcement agencies and 400-some searchers that were involved from the beginning.

We see kids riding bikes and scooters around the loops all the time. We try to get a general idea which site they belong to, if one happens to fall down or scrapes a knee.

Camper_bob · 10-03-2023, 07:08 AM

Having a son her age, I can't imagine the crippling fear that sets in when something like this happens. This is what my nightmares are made of.

Super glad they found her safe.

First thing I'm going to do after I give him a great big bear hug, is talk to my son about this story and hope that we learn something from it.

**Midnightmoon** · 10-03-2023, 08:01 AM

My youngest daughter is that age also. So often she wants to take off on her bike in a campground and we never gave it a second thought. So thankful that this young lady was found and returned to her family.

spark of insanity · 10-09-2023, 05:16 PM

What is even scarier is the guy knew the family and knew one of them was coming into money and he thought this would be an easy way to get some quick cash. Stupid left fingerprints and point the proverbial finger at himself. He will rot for a long time in prison if he isn't killed in prison. Prisoners do not like child nappers. Just glad she is safe and they got her back within the 72 hour time frame.

travelingjw · 10-09-2023, 08:18 PM

That is awesome. Thank God for law enforcement!

Camper_bob · 10-10-2023, 10:40 AM

I was true to my word and had that discussion with my son. I told him the story, and told him how to handle (or more importantly, avoid) a potentially dangerous situation.

What I did not discuss with him is the very important detail that Spark mentioned: This person was known to the family, and close enough to know they would soon have a financial windfall.

We've trained him that even "trusted friends and family" can never be fully trusted from a physical abuse standpoint. But what if that person offers them a ride? A completely normal situation for a family friend to offer a ride, and we have close-knit friend group that sometimes shares that duty around a few of our children. Now we curb that somewhat by making sure he knows who will pick him up, where, and when. And that the only deviation from that plan is if it's either myself or his mother. But that can all get very confusing for a young child when they're put on the spot. Getting a ride from that friend may be a completely normal circumstance.

I can't imagine how violated that family feels.

craigav · 10-10-2023, 10:54 AM

I don't have any young children now, but perhaps I will have some grandchildren soon. In any case, I think I will purchase a tracking device when that time comes in order not to lose anyone. I have seen some that are for pets (dogs) that have a ~2 mile range and doesn't require a subscription service, not that I have checked into or determined what I will purchase when the time comes, those that use a cell service subscription may be a better choice depending on where you are located. ~CA

Camper_bob · 10-10-2023, 05:42 PM

We use Airtags. If our son is going to be in an elevated risk situation, or not with his backpack, we hide it in his clothes. Otherwise it's hidden in his backpack. I would never think to put it on him at the campground, but he also rarely leaves our sight (by design).

One of his classmates stole it once. Kinda stupid, but he thought it was just a cool key chain because it has a Captain America cover on it. Another teacher knew it was not his and took it from him. We tracked it to the teacher's home that evening, and she brought it back to school the next day. It was pretty accurate, we could tell which part of her little house it was in.

We keep one on the dog too.

On a lighter note, kids today aren't getting away with ANYTHING. Their every move can be tracked. If they had this stuff when I was a kid ... well let's just say things would've been different...

craigav · 10-10-2023, 09:49 PM

I was going to mention Airtags (not that I know much about them or own any). However, I read they only work with bluetooth (is that correct?) and if that is correct the range would be more limited than I would prefer, in particular to some of the forests and remote areas I enjoy sometimes. ~CA

Camper_bob · 10-11-2023, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craigav

I was going to mention Airtags (not that I know much about them or own any). However, I read they only work with bluetooth (is that correct?) and if that is correct the range would be more limited than I would prefer, in particular to some of the forests and remote areas I enjoy sometimes. ~CA

I'm not what you would call tech savvy to this extent, but this is my understanding.

Yes, they work through bluetooth, but apparently they can work on any network. So, the way I understand it is that they just need to be in bluetooth range of any device with network access. They will silently go through that network chain.

So the example is that someone steals something with an airtag on/in it and drives down the highway. Every vehicle occupant nearby (or even some vehicles themselves) with a network connected device is a potential connection point for that tag.

So, yes, if in a remote area, not near a network connected device, they are useless outside of bluetooth range. Certainly a limitation of the technology to be aware of.

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