Intense Search for Missing 9-Year-Old Charlotte Sena at Moreau Lake State Park in Upstate New York

2023-10-02 21:37:00

NEW YORK – The intense search for 9-year-old Charlotte Sena, who disappeared from a popular state park while camping with her family, continues in upstate New York.

An AMBER Alert was issued for Charlotte after she disappeared Saturday night.

CBS New York has learned the FBI has joined the search for the missing girl.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the disappearance “every parent’s nightmare.”

Here’s a look at some of what we know so far:

Who is Charlotte Sena and where is she from?

Charlotte Sena is 9 years old. She’s 4’6″ tall, weighs about 90 pounds, has blonde hair and green eyes.

She was last seen wearing an orange, tie-dyed Pokemon shirt, dark blue pants, black Crocs, and a grey bike helmet.

Her aunt Jené Sena pleaded for information to find Charlotte.

“She is a blonde, adorable 9-year-old little girl with bangs. She has green eyes, just under 5 feet tall and she is just a sweet, adorable girl,” Jené Sena.

Charlotte and her family live in Greenfield, N.Y. which is roughly 12 miles from where she went missing.

Where did Charlotte Sena go missing?

Sena disappeared Saturday while visiting Moreau Lake State Parka popular campground in Gansevoort, about 190 miles north of New York City.

Charlotte and her family were camping in the Southeast corner of the park, in a campground area known as Loop A.

Here’s a look at the map of Moreau Lake State Park:

A map of Moreau Lake State Park

parks.ny.gov

Charlotte had been bike riding with her friends Saturday when she decided to do one more loop on her own. That’s when she disappeared. It all happened within 15 minutes.

Concerns are growing that she may have been abducted.

The park is now closed indefinitely while the search for Charlotte continues.

What about Charlotte Sena’s family?

Charlotte was at the campground with her parents David and Trisha Sena.

Hochul said Charlotte’s family realized almost immediately that something was wrong when Charlotte didn’t return from her bike ride at around 6:15 p.m.

“Her parents knew immediately something was up. They called her name. People started searching, people from other campgrounds joined. And 30 minutes later, at 6:47, Charlotte’s mother, Trisha, called 911. The scene was chaotic. People leaving their food, leaving their tables, just everyone in search, calling the name, ‘Charlotte, Charlotte,'” Hochul said.

State Police arrived on the scene by 7 p.m. Saturday night.

Waht if you have information or want to volunteer to search for Charlotte Sena?

A team led by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers is searching for Charlotte Sena. They say the search area encompasses more than 46 miles, and involved more than 400 certified search and rescue personnel from law enforcement, volunteer fire departments, and private search and rescue groups.

Search and rescue trained personnel who are interested in joining the search can email [email protected].

State Police are asking anyone who visited Moreau Lake State Park Saturday to contact them by emailing [email protected].

“When a child disappears, members of the community often have information they do not realize is valuable. This information is crucial in establishing a timeline of what happened,” State Police said in a statement.

Anyone with any information about Charlotte’s whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the New York State Police at (518) 457-6811.

“Charlotte is a bright and adventurous girl who loves to be outside. Charlotte has a huge heart and wants to create a club at her school for kids who don’t have friends. She always put others first. Please know that we continue to work around the clock to bring Charlotte home,” New York State Police said in a statement.