Aunt of nine-year-old girl abducted during upstate New York camping trip says she’s ‘been on a rollercoaster’ since horror ordeal and that family ‘started screaming’ after hearing she was found alive
The aunt of a nine-year-old girl who was abducted during a camping trip in September and found two harrowing days later has spoken out about the “sheer torture” suffered by the family.
The girl, who has not been named, was kidnapped on September 30 during a camping trip at Moreau Lake State Park in New York, near Saratoga Springs.
More than 400 police officers joined the search for her as her family grew increasingly desperate – until she was found two days later, after the alleged kidnapper placed a ransom note in the family's mailbox.
Her aunt told her ABC news: 'You always say this kind of thing doesn't happen to you, but of course it can happen to you.'
Craig Ross Jr. has been accused of kidnapping the girl in October after she was found hidden in a cupboard in his trailer in the backyard of his mother's estate.
In Saratoga District Court, Ross (left) pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree kidnapping and multiple counts of sexual assault
He has pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including first-degree kidnapping and sexual assault of a child.
While he awaits trial, the aunt said the girl is trying to get back to normal.
She said: 'It's been a rollercoaster, she's obviously a child who hasn't asked what happened to her so she's trying to get back to her normal life.'
The child was riding her bicycle alone on Loop A of Moreau Lake State Park when she disappeared.
She was cycling with a friend and family, but said she wanted to do “one last lap” alone before returning to camp.
It should have only taken a few minutes for the little loop to be completed, but when her parents realized she wasn't back after fifteen minutes, they became concerned.
Her parents called authorities after discovering her bicycle on the trail, with officials searching the 6,250-acre park but finding no trace of her.
After she disappeared, a multi-agency search was launched spanning 47 miles, involving 400 federal, state and local personnel and volunteers on the ground.
Her aunt said it was “pure torture, pure torture really.” You think, what if this doesn't end soon, what if we can't find her, all those what ifs.'
The kidnap victim's aunt said waiting to be found was “pure torture.”
Craig Ross Jr.'s trailer, where he allegedly kept the girl in a closet
The search lasted two days until Ross Jr. allegedly left a ransom note in the mailbox of the child's parents' home, demanding $50,000 for her return.
Police were able to identify fingerprints believed to match a 1999 drunken driving charge for Ross Jr. and showed up at his mother's trailer in Milton.
Two SWAT teams – one state and one federal – arrived in helicopters to the site, with Ross Jr. would have had a fight.
They found the girl hidden in a closet.
Her aunt said that when she found out she was okay, she “fell to my knees and screamed.”
The child was taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital after being found, where officials said she was in good physical health following the ordeal.
After the young girl was found, her mother Trisha and father David said: “We are very happy.
“A huge thank you to the FBI, the New York State Police, all the agencies that were mobilized, all the families, friends, community, neighbors and hundreds of volunteers who supported us and worked tirelessly to bring her home.”
The trailer in which the young girl was found two days after the kidnapping
Police descended on the trailer where he lived in the backyard of his mother's house
After his appearance last month, Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen said Ross Jr. would be held accountable for his alleged conduct.
Heggen said, “We will do this thoroughly and completely because of the work that has been done and continues to be done by law enforcement to detain this defendant who committed a heinous, horrible crime against a young victim.
“We will hold him accountable and accountable.”
Speaking to ABC News this week, her aunt added: 'Unfortunately in the world we live in there are predators and so justice won't be alone when he's safely away from not doing this to anyone else.
“But also that she has a great support system and resources and everything she needs around her to move forward.”
Ross was arrested by officers after he allegedly left a ransom note in the mailbox of the child's parents' home, with fingerprints allegedly matching a 1999 drunk driving charge against him
Ross, seen here in an earlier mugshot, allegedly left a ransom note at the child's family home
She added: “This isn't just a headline, this isn't just something to get clicks, this is a real person, a real child, a real family.”
Ross Jr., who looked disheveled in an earlier mugshot released by New York State Police, was described as a “recluse” who would care for his 11-year-old daughter half the week in his $180,000 three-bedroom home .
He had a limited criminal history before being charged with kidnapping; he was first arrested in 1999 in connection with a DWI case, which led to his arrest.
Ross Jr. also suffers from multiple sclerosis and had just moved into the caravan that officers had raided four weeks earlier.