Craig N. Ross Jr. Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping 9-Year-Old Girl from N.Y. Park, Faces 47 Years-to-Life in Prison

Craig N. Ross Jr.Photo:Will Waldron/The Albany Times Union via APA man accused ofkidnapping a 9-year-old girl on a family camping triplast year faces 47 years to life in prison after pleading guilty.Craig Nelson Ross Jr.pled guilty to first-degree kidnapping and predatory sexual assault against a child during a court appearance on Wednesday, according toWRGB.The young girl was abducted while she rode her bike in Moreau Lake State Park on Sept. 30, 2023. Less than two days later, she was found in a cabinet inside a camper parked at Ross Jr.’s mother’s home.Investigators discovered their location afterpositively identifying fingerprints on a ransom notethat was allegedlyleft in a mailbox belonging to the young girl’s family. His fingerprintswere linked to a DWI case from 1999in Saratoga, N.Y.The Times Unionreported that Ross Jr. “was quiet and expressionless as he admitted to the charges.” Per the outlet, he faces 25 years to life for first-degree kidnapping and 22 years to life for predatory sexual assault against a child (a possible 47-year combined sentence).His criminal trial would have begun on April 8 if he had rejected his plea deal. If the case would have gone to trial, the 9-year-old girl could have also been forced to testify. His sentencing is scheduled for April 17, and heremains in the Saratoga County Jail without bail.Craig N. Ross Jr.Saratoga County JailAccording toWTEN, his admission to guilt follows a Feb. 1 court appearance in which Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Buckley said that they had “over 2,000 photos, hundreds of body camera and surveillance videos, emails, radio transmissions, and witnesses” to use against him.After the young girl was returned to her family, theyshared a statement with PEOPLEthat thanked the “FBI, the New York State police, all of the agencies that were mobilized, all of the families, friends, community, neighbors and hundreds of volunteers.““We are thrilled that she is home, and we understand that the outcome is not what every family gets,” the statement read.Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.Apart from his 1999 DWI case that resulted in a fine and a suspended driver’s license for 90 days, Ross Jr. was alsoarrested in April 2017 following a physical domestic dispute. A spokesperson for New York State Police previously told PEOPLE that he “reportedly applied pressure on the throat of the victim during the altercation.”

Craig N. Ross Jr.Photo:Will Waldron/The Albany Times Union via AP

Will Waldron/The Albany Times Union via AP

A man accused ofkidnapping a 9-year-old girl on a family camping triplast year faces 47 years to life in prison after pleading guilty.Craig Nelson Ross Jr.pled guilty to first-degree kidnapping and predatory sexual assault against a child during a court appearance on Wednesday, according toWRGB.The young girl was abducted while she rode her bike in Moreau Lake State Park on Sept. 30, 2023. Less than two days later, she was found in a cabinet inside a camper parked at Ross Jr.’s mother’s home.Investigators discovered their location afterpositively identifying fingerprints on a ransom notethat was allegedlyleft in a mailbox belonging to the young girl’s family. His fingerprintswere linked to a DWI case from 1999in Saratoga, N.Y.The Times Unionreported that Ross Jr. “was quiet and expressionless as he admitted to the charges.” Per the outlet, he faces 25 years to life for first-degree kidnapping and 22 years to life for predatory sexual assault against a child (a possible 47-year combined sentence).His criminal trial would have begun on April 8 if he had rejected his plea deal. If the case would have gone to trial, the 9-year-old girl could have also been forced to testify. His sentencing is scheduled for April 17, and heremains in the Saratoga County Jail without bail.Craig N. Ross Jr.Saratoga County JailAccording toWTEN, his admission to guilt follows a Feb. 1 court appearance in which Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Buckley said that they had “over 2,000 photos, hundreds of body camera and surveillance videos, emails, radio transmissions, and witnesses” to use against him.After the young girl was returned to her family, theyshared a statement with PEOPLEthat thanked the “FBI, the New York State police, all of the agencies that were mobilized, all of the families, friends, community, neighbors and hundreds of volunteers.““We are thrilled that she is home, and we understand that the outcome is not what every family gets,” the statement read.Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.Apart from his 1999 DWI case that resulted in a fine and a suspended driver’s license for 90 days, Ross Jr. was alsoarrested in April 2017 following a physical domestic dispute. A spokesperson for New York State Police previously told PEOPLE that he “reportedly applied pressure on the throat of the victim during the altercation.”

A man accused ofkidnapping a 9-year-old girl on a family camping triplast year faces 47 years to life in prison after pleading guilty.

Craig Nelson Ross Jr.pled guilty to first-degree kidnapping and predatory sexual assault against a child during a court appearance on Wednesday, according toWRGB.

The young girl was abducted while she rode her bike in Moreau Lake State Park on Sept. 30, 2023. Less than two days later, she was found in a cabinet inside a camper parked at Ross Jr.’s mother’s home.

Investigators discovered their location afterpositively identifying fingerprints on a ransom notethat was allegedlyleft in a mailbox belonging to the young girl’s family. His fingerprintswere linked to a DWI case from 1999in Saratoga, N.Y.

The Times Unionreported that Ross Jr. “was quiet and expressionless as he admitted to the charges.” Per the outlet, he faces 25 years to life for first-degree kidnapping and 22 years to life for predatory sexual assault against a child (a possible 47-year combined sentence).

His criminal trial would have begun on April 8 if he had rejected his plea deal. If the case would have gone to trial, the 9-year-old girl could have also been forced to testify. His sentencing is scheduled for April 17, and heremains in the Saratoga County Jail without bail.

Craig N. Ross Jr.Saratoga County Jail

Saratoga County Jail

According toWTEN, his admission to guilt follows a Feb. 1 court appearance in which Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Buckley said that they had “over 2,000 photos, hundreds of body camera and surveillance videos, emails, radio transmissions, and witnesses” to use against him.

After the young girl was returned to her family, theyshared a statement with PEOPLEthat thanked the “FBI, the New York State police, all of the agencies that were mobilized, all of the families, friends, community, neighbors and hundreds of volunteers.”

“We are thrilled that she is home, and we understand that the outcome is not what every family gets,” the statement read.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Apart from his 1999 DWI case that resulted in a fine and a suspended driver’s license for 90 days, Ross Jr. was alsoarrested in April 2017 following a physical domestic dispute. A spokesperson for New York State Police previously told PEOPLE that he “reportedly applied pressure on the throat of the victim during the altercation.”

source: people.com