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Charlotte E. Sena was last seen in Saratoga County at around 6:15 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at Moreau Lake State Park in the town of Moreau.
On Sunday, Oct. 1, an AMBER Alert was activated by state police, who said they were investigating a possible abduction.
Sena's mother had reported her daughter's disappearance to authorities after the girl's bicycle was found at around 6:45 p.m. Saturday along the path of the 6,200-acre park.
Sena, who has long, blonde hair, is approximately 5-foot-1 and weighs about 90 pounds and was last seen wearing an orange tie-dye Pokemon shirt, dark blue pants, black crocs, and a gray bike helmet.
“Hearts are broken here today in New York," Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news conference Sunday afternoon, Oct. 1 at Moreau Lake State Park. "Hopefully, there'll be a reunion. Hopefully, there'll be a family that has been traumatized but is reunited. That is our prayer and our hope at this time.”
A command post at the park includes over 100 personnel deployed, 75 law enforcement on the ground, two drones, an airboat search team, six underwater rescue teams, and another boat that has sonar.
Charlotte Sena and her two sisters were attending a gathering of family and friends for what Hochul described as "a weekend of friendship and food and enjoying one of the last few days of good weather.
"They came here to just have an ordinary time. The kids could have a chance to be in nature, have a chance to be kids. And they came to this beautiful scenic state park, Moreau State Park.
"They rode bikes around the loop road. They camped, they cooked out and they were here to make memories, the kind that last a lifetime."
But "the day turned into every parent's worst nightmare," Hochul said.
"She went out on a bike ride," Hochul said. "It wasn't dark, it's right around dinnertime, and did a couple of loops with close friends she considers her cousins.
"And then she decided after going around, she said she's finally going around one more time by herself. Be that big girl, do it by herself.
"Literally 15 minutes later, she hadn't come back yet. And that's really when the nightmare begins.
"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.' "
Charlotte, a fourth-grader, had just been elected to be a class officer for the student council. She is a niece of a member of the Schenectady Fire Department, which has joined the search.
Hochul said she promised Charlotte's parents that their daughter would be found.
"And as a mother and as a grandmother, I cannot imagine the pain they're going through," Hochul said. "They shared with me how joyful their little girl is.
"And everybody thought of her as just a really nice girl, the kind that people wanted to be friends with, the kind that looked out for other children, the pride of every parent."
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