Who is Carol Brown? Woman claims Charlotte Sena’s alleged kidnapper Craig Ross Jr 'tried to grab' her grandson months ago
MOREAU, NEW YORK: In the wake of the arrest of Craig Ross Jr for the alleged kidnapping of nine-year-old Charlotte Sena, one of his neighbors, Carol Brown, has stepped forward with a harrowing revelation.
Brown claims that Ross had previously attempted to abduct her grandson from her front yard back in July, shedding light on the previous disturbing actions of the suspect.
Carol Brown's disturbing encounter with Craig Ross Jr
Carol Brown, 61, recounted her chilling encounter with Craig Ross Jr, revealing that when the police showed her a photo of the suspect, she immediately recognized him.
"I told the police that a man had tried to grab my grandson back in July. That’s when they showed me the pictures," said Brown, adding, "I recognized him immediately, 100%. Immediately, I said that’s him," as per The New York Post.
According to her, the frightening incident occurred when she and her grandson Braiden, 10, were engaged in yard work one July day. As she went out to turn on the hose, she heard her dog's frantic barking, prompting her to rush back to the front yard.
"I heard the dog start freaking out, really freaking out, so I ran back around to see what was going on and there was a very scary-looking man standing over my grandson who was crouching down over the weed whacker," claimed Brown, adding, "He was standing over him, inches away."
Carol Brown was 'creeped out' for weeks after the supposed incident
Adding to the eerie encounter, the grandmother noted that Ross had been wearing "Native American" style earrings adorned with "feathers and hoops" that resembled dreamcatchers. Irrespective of the unusual earrings, Ross's appearance closely mirrored his jailhouse photo, which showed him disheveled with unkempt hair and a scruffy beard.
When confronted by Brown, Ross reportedly offered an explanation, claiming that he was merely asking Braiden for assistance to "load the string on my new weed whacker."
However, when she suggested involving her husband, the suspected kidnapper apparently reacted swiftly, sprinting toward a bicycle he had left in the road, saying, "Oh, no, no, no. I’m okay."
"When the police showed me his picture I would have fell down if I wasn’t already sitting," mentioned Brown.
She continued, "My grandson freaked out when he saw that when I showed him the picture of the man that we saw back in July. For weeks after, I was creeped out, we both were. We’ve lived here for 30 years I’ve never seen anything like that. 100%! In hindsight, I believe I hadn’t if I hadn’t run around the house when I heard the dog freaking out my grandson would be gone."
Brown, whose husband is a recently retired detective, said they harbored suspicions about activities at Ross' house but didn’t "know the people" residing there.
What led to Craig Ross Jr's arrest?
Craig Ross Jr was apprehended after the authorities were able to match his fingerprints with those found on a ransom note left in the Sena family's mailbox in connection with Charlotte's abduction.
(New York State Police)
Notably, the nine-year-old girl was discovered unharmed in a cupboard inside a trailer in Ross's mother's backyard. Although she was not injured, Charlotte was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons.
The suspect, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, currently faces one count of kidnapping and is expected to face additional charges in the future. He is scheduled to appear in court later this week as the legal proceedings progress.