cnn
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Charlotte SenaThe 9-year-old girl who disappeared while camping in a New York state park two days ago has been found safe and sound and a suspect has been taken into custody, authorities said Monday night.
Before she was found, Charlotte’s parents received a ransom note at their home, New York Governor Kathy Hochul told CNN on Monday night.
Hochul told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that the note had fingerprints on it, which helped authorities locate a suspect and eventually find Charlotte. Hochul said the suspect’s fingerprints were already in a police database, but he did not elaborate on any previous cases in which the suspect had been involved.
“I have to caution that this is still very much a live investigation,” he said. “And as more information becomes available that can be confirmed, we will release it.”
Cellphone pings from people in the area where Charlotte was last seen also helped authorities find her, the governor said.
“They were going through all the different cell phones that have been in the vicinity of this park,” he said. The authorities also had information about those who came to the park as campers because they had to register.
“So you could start to circle potential suspects based on cell phone data, who is in the park and ultimately the ransom note as well,” he said.
The combination of those factors led authorities to find a suspect and Charlotte, he told CNN.
According to state police, once the suspect, who they believe was in the area when Charlotte disappeared, was identified, they searched several homes associated with him. They found Charlotte on Monday at 6:32 p.m. ET, they said, and detained the suspect.
“It was extraordinary to see how they traced it to an individual’s home,” Hochul added. “The house was surrounded by law enforcement and helicopters, and they were able to get her to safety. And shortly after, he was in the arms of his parents in a hospital.”
The governor confirmed that Charlotte is in good health. New York State Police did not provide details on where Charlotte was found, or additional details about the suspect.
Charlotte, who was camping at Moreau Lake State Park with her family, went out for a bike ride with close friends around dinnertime and never returned, authorities said.
Charlotte had last been seen around 6:15 pm on Saturday, riding her bike on one of the park’s loops. She had done a few loops with friends and wanted to do one more alone, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news conference Sunday. Her mother reported her missing around 6:45 p.m., after Charlotte’s bicycle was found on the loop without her, said Lt. Col. Richard Mazzone of the New York State Police.
Mazzone said authorities feared, after failing to find her nearby, that Charlotte may have been kidnapped.
“Once they found his bike during that search, they realized he wasn’t on it, that he hadn’t gone very far, that he hadn’t gotten lost. Something is really wrong,” CNN chief intelligence and law enforcement analyst John Miller previously said.
The police on Monday canceled a Amber alert which had been broadcast on Sunday morning.
“I am extremely grateful to @nyspolice @NYStateParks police and all of our partners who worked tirelessly to locate Charlotte and ensure she was able to return home safely to her family,” Hochul said on social media after Charlotte was found.
The number of people searching for Charlotte had grown to 400 by Monday morning, state police previously said. Those who helped came from 34 volunteer fire departments and private groups, as well as federal, state and local authorities.
Before she was found, the search area had also expanded more than 46 linear miles, authorities said.
The wildly popular state park, about 45 miles north of Albany, is more than 6,200 acres and “is nestled among hardwood forests, pine forests and rocky ridges,” according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Moreau Lake State Park said in a Facebook post is closed until further notice.
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