Kidnapped LI Girl's Therapist Weighs In On Charlotte Sena, Found Safe

EAST HAMPTON, NY — An East Hampton psychotherapist who helped Long Island kidnapping victim Katie Beers to heal is sharing her thoughts on what's next for Charlotte Sena, the 9-year-old girl abducted in Saratoga County, New York Saturday evening.

Charlotte was found "safe and in good health" and a suspect has been charged in her kidnapping, according to officials and multiple reports, including the Times Union.

East Hampton psychotherapist Mary Bromley, who worked with Long Island kidnapping victim Katie Beers after the girl came to live and find support in East Hampton, said, although both girls were 9 years old when they were abducted, their stories were very different.

"The fact that Charlotte was found so quickly is great," Bromley said. "Katie Beers was 17 days in captivity."

A man, identified as 47-year-old Craig Nelson Ross Jr., has been charged with first-degree kidnapping in connection with Charlotte Sena's disappearance after authorities said they matched a fingerprint found on a ransom note left in the Sena family's mailbox to his profile in New York State's database from a 1999 DWI case.

Officials said the little girl was abducted while riding her bicycle Saturday in Moreau Lake State Park, about 35 miles north of Albany. The search, which was led by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers, expanded over 46 linear miles and was made up of 400 certified search and rescue personnel across several law enforcement agencies and 34 volunteer fire departments.

Private search and rescue groups also banded together to help bring Charlotte Sena home.

"It's been a long two days, but tonight our prayers have been answered," New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a news conference Monday evening.

Meanwhile, Jan. 13 marked 30 years since Katie Beers, who was kidnapped when she was just 9 years old and kept in an underground bunker for 17 days in Bay Shore, was set free.

Since there was a ransom note in Charlotte's case, Bromley said it's very possible that there was no motive of physical abuse. "But they will fully examine her at the hospital," she said.

The other positive, Bromley said, is that Charlotte "comes from a happy family where she was loved, as opposed to Katie Beers, who was completely neglected. Charlotte sounds like a feisty, spirited young girl who will be able to testify in court, if necessary, as Katie did."

She added: "No one should underestimate the healing power of a child being able to point out their abuser and send him to jail."

Looking ahead, Bromley said she believes Charlotte will need therapy initially, such as art therapy and later, would benefit from speaking to a therapist. Bromley treated Katie for 10 years after her ordeal.

"She is a survivor," she said.

As for Charlotte, Bromley said: "It would be helpful to put her in touch with another kidnap survivor, as I was able to do for Katie. People who suffer similar problems can really help one another. This is important, even if it might be only two or three sessions."

Charlotte's case started to break at 4:20 a.m. Monday, Hochul said.

It was then that a car pulled up to the Sena family's home—which was being guarded by state police as Sena's parents remained at the campsite where they had last seen their daughter—and someone dropped a ransom note in the mailbox, Hochul said.

Investigators were then able to match a fingerprint on the ransom note with that of someone in New York State's database—identified as Nelson Ross Jr., who had been arrested in Saratoga in 1999 for DWI.

Research led the investigators to the Nelson Ross Jr.'s mother's home, behind which the suspect lived in a camper, Hochul explained. Nelson Ross Jr. was found in the camper and taken into custody. Charlotte Sena was found in a cabinet.

"She knew she was being rescued," Hochul said. "She knew she was in safe hands."

The Sena family said they wish to keep details about their daughter's ordeal scant for now but Hochul said that the little girl seemed to be "outwardly physically unharmed."

Beers lived in Springs with her beloved foster family after her own childhood ordeal. Today, she lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two children‚ and she thanks her family, her therapist, and her supportive East Hampton community for their love, protection — and her new chance at life.

"My parents are the reason for my beautiful recovery and being able to become a survivor rather than remaining a victim," she said in past years. "They've also taught me how to love."

Beers, who had endured neglect and sexual abuse during childhood at another predator's hands, wrote about her experience in the book "Buried Memories: Katie Beers' Story," which was released in 2013.

Beers and her therapist Bromley have spoken from their hearts in past yes Patch about how another abducted missing and endangered teen would be able to move forward from her nightmare and into the next chapters of her life — and what challenges she, and others who survived kidnappings, might encounter.

Reflecting on her own experience, Beers said what helped her in her healing and recovery process was the love and support of her "amazing family, my therapist and the fact that I was never made to talk about anything before I was ready."

Beers also said she believes that every experience you have shapes you in some way, either big or small. "I think that God had bigger plans for me," she said. "He knew that I was going to come out on the other side of my upbringing and be able to flourish, survive and thrive. So many people would lose hope. I never gave up hope that one day, my life would be better and I would be able to do something special with it."

Reading about the fear that Charlotte's parents endured as they searched for their daughter during what was meant to be a happy family camping trip has also sparked fear in the public consciousness — the terror that in a heartbeat, their child disappeared, Bromley said.

Bromley offered parents advice that could potentially save their children's lives: "Be aware. Teach your children to trust their instincts and fight, to not always respect authority — and to know how to ask for help."

(With reporting by Cailin Loesch)