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Accused Charlotte Sena Kidnapper Wanted Money After Learning Her Late Grandfather Won $2.2M Lawsuit, Ex Says
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An ex-girlfriend of suspected child snatcher Craig Ross Jr. said he kidnapped 9-year-old New York girl, Charlotte Sena, in a plot to obtain money from her family’s reported fortune.

According to what the Amanda Preece told DailyMail, Ross Jr. allegedly targeted Charlotte after learning her grandfather Patrick won a $2.2 million lawsuit against the town of Greenfield, following a sledding accident.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, police arrested 46-year-old Ross Jr. at a camper van behind his mother’s property in Porters Corners, on October 2, following Charlotte’s disappearance.

Charlotte was abducted September 30 while riding her bike at New York’s Moreau Lake State Park. She had been on a camping trip with her family when Ross Jr. nabbed her, police said.

Prior to his arrest, Ross Jr. went to Charlotte’s home, which police said was only a short distance from his own home, and left a ransom note for the family.

In this image taken from video, New York State police and crime scene investigators walk across the property, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, in Milton, N.Y., where Craig N. Ross Jr. was found with 9-year-old Charlotte Sena, who he is suspected of kidnapping. A fingerprint on a ransom note led police to the kidnapping suspect’s camper in New York where Sena was found hidden in a cabinet, ending a two-day search sparked by the girl’s disappearance during a family camping trip, officials said. (AP Photo/Maysoon Kahn)

Preece reportedly said Ross orchestrated the kidnapping with knowledge that the Sena family received the substantial legal settlement. She believes Ross wrote a ransom note, demanding $50,000, because of his financial issues.

He’s allegedly behind on tax payments on a home in Saratoga, which Preece said forced him to move to the camper van on his mother’s property.

“I think that’s why he held her ransom, he was hoping to get some of the money because he’s struggling financially,” Preese told DailyMail. “That kind of money would set him up for around four or five years.”

“He’s never wanted to work. He’s always wanted to find people to mooch off of whether it be girlfriends or making his mother feel bad because his MS is so bad.”

Meanwhile, Ross Jr. remains behind bars without bail, facing one kidnapping charge.

Charlotte, who police found hidden in a cupboard inside the defendant’s camper van, was said to be unharmed. She has since been reunited with her family.

Check back for updates.

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[Feature Photo: Craig Ross Jr./Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office]