Charlotte Sena’s accused abductor wanted to get rich off girl’s grandfather’s lawsuit money, ex-girlfriend says

The ex-girlfriend of Craig Ross Jr., 46, who allegedly kidnapped 9-year-old Charlotte Sena from a park in upstate New York and demanded $50,000 for her release, said he was after the money that the girl’s late grandfather had won in a lawsuit.

Charlotte’s grandfather, Patrick Sena, had sued the town of Greenfield, New York in 1998 for a sledding accident and received $2.2 million, according to the Daily Mail. He passed away in 2015.

Amanda Preece, 33, who dated Ross for two years and obtained a restraining order against him in 2017, told the outlet that Ross knew about the settlement money and was hoping to get some of it because he was in financial trouble.

“I think that’s why he held her ransom, he was hoping to get some of the money because he’s struggling financially,” she said. “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,” she added, referring to his multiple sclerosis.

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Ross had reportedly failed to pay taxes for a property near Charlotte’s home and had to move back to his mother’s property where he lived in a trailer.

Preece said that Ross was “evil” and believed he stalked Charlotte and her family for a long time before kidnapping her.

“He had been following her family, he knew where they lived,” she said.

“He put up tarp over the windows a few months prior, so I feel like he had been planning it for a while,” she continued. “He has the patience for messed up things like that.”

“To go to the campsite where they were at, to know where they lived, and to go to the park when they are there. He definitely had this planned,” she told the paper. “He’s the type of person where he pre plans and it can be months ahead to do something.”

Preece said that Ross “terrorized” her when they were together and that he once “grabbed her by the throat with both hands” and threw her across a room, according to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail.

Ross was also investigated for sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl, but no charges were filed, police sources told the Times Union.

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Police are now looking into any links between Ross and other unsolved cases in the area, including the abduction and murder of 18-year-old Jennifer Hammond and 19-year-old Christina White, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office said.

On Monday, Ross was apprehended following a DNA match to fingerprints discovered on a ransom note deposited in the Sena family's mailbox. He now faces first-degree kidnapping charges, with allegations of intent to collect ransom, and is currently incarcerated at Saratoga County Jail without the possibility of bail.

His next court date is set for Oct. 17. More charges are expected, authorities said.

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