Charlotte Sena: Police search for girl, 9, believed abducted on US camping trip

More than 100 people are searching for a nine-year-old girl who went missing while camping with friends and family members in upstate New York.

Charlotte Sena was camping in Moreau Lake State Park with her family when she went on a bike ride with close friends around dinner time Saturday evening, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a news conference.

After biking a couple of loops together, “she just wanted to go around one more time by herself, be that big girl and do it by herself,” the governor said.

When Charlotte didn’t return roughly 15 minutes later, her parents “knew immediately something was up,” and began calling her name.

Charlotte was last seen wearing an orange tie-dyed Pokémon shirt, dark blue trousers, black Crocs and a grey bike helmet, according to a description provided by the state police. She is White with blonde hair, about 4ft 6ins tall, with green eyes, authorities said.

An amber alert was issued Sunday morning, Lt. Colonel Richard L. Mazzone, of the New York State Police, said.

Charlotte Sena was last seen at around 6.15pm on Saturday. / Credit: CNN

“We took that step of issuing the amber alert because we felt, after (our) exhaustive search, when we couldn’t find her here, it was quite possible that an abduction had taken place,” he added.

For more than 18 hours, state authorities have been searching for the child and have deployed air and underwater rescue teams, blood hounds, drones and technology experts have also been called in to analyse “other forms of communications in the park at that time,” the governor said.

Charlotte is the niece of a member of the Schenectady Fire Department, which is also helping with the search, Hochul added.

“We are leaving no stone, no branch, no table, no cabin unturned, untouched, unexamined in our search to find Charlotte,” she said. “If you know anything, if you’ve seen anything, if you hear anything, please contact 911 to tell us what you know.”

Charlotte is a fourth grader who was recently elected to be a class officer for student council, Hochul said.

“Hearts are broken here today in New York. Hopefully there will be a reunion, hopefully there will be a family that has been traumatized but is reunited,” she said. “That is our prayer and our hope.”