Month: October 2023

New York State Police are searching for a 9-year-old girl who they said was abducted Saturday night while she was camping with her family. The girl, Charlotte Sena, was last seen 50 miles north of Albany at Moreau Lake State Park in Saratoga County at approximately 6:15 p.m., wearing an orange tie-dye Pokémon shirt, dark blue pants, black Crocs and a gray bike helmet. According to information provided by police, Charlotte is 4 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 90 pounds, and she has blond hair. Lt. Col. Richard Mazzone told reporters Sunday after an exhaustive search of the park, police had determined it was “quite possible” Charlotte was abducted. The Sena family said in a statement: “We just want her returned safely like any parent would. No tip is too small, please call if you know anything at all.”

State police activated an Amber Alert shortly after 9:30 a.m. local time Sunday which read: ***AMBER ALERT UPDATED DESCRIPTION*** PLEASE SHARE! NYSP has activated AMBER Alert for a child abduction that occurred near Moreau Lake State Park in Gansevoort, NY at about 6:45 PM on 9/30/2023. Anyone with any information should call the NYSP at (518) 457-6811 or dial 911.” Adding: “The child was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death.”

NY Governor Kathy Hochul offered an update Sunday after meeting with the missing girl’s family, promising them officials would find their daughter. Gov. Hochul told reporters that Charlotte and her family were camping only 15 minutes from where she and her sisters were raised. Shortly before she disappeared, Charlotte had been biking around Loop A of the park with family friends and had said she wanted to do one more loop by herself. Fifteen minutes later, when she hadn’t returned, her parents and nearby campers mounted a search. Charlotte’s bike was found on the loop at 6:45 p.m., and two minutes later, her mother called 911 to report her missing. By 7 p.m., state police were at the scene.  Since then, over 100 personnel and 75 law enforcement officials have been deployed in the search, which also includes dogs, two drones, two boats and six underwater rescue teams, said Hochul, who added that a command post had been established at the state park.

Hochul said: “As a mother and as a grandmother, I cannot imagine the pain they’re going through. They shared with me how joyful their little girl is, a fourth grader just recently elected to be a class officer for student council.”  Hochul implored anyone with information or anyone who may have seen anything to call 911: “Hearts are broken here today in New York. Hopefully there will be a reunion. Hopefully, there will be a family that has been traumatized but reunited.”

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Rep. Matt Gaetz said he will try to remove fellow Republican (and longtime nemesis), House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position this week — his statements coming after McCarthy relied on Democratic support to pass legislation that avoided a government shutdown. In response, McCarthy responded: “So be it. Bring it on. Let’s get over with it and let’s start governing.”

Gaetz, R-Fla, said in a broadcast interview: “I think we need to rip off the Band-Aid … I think we need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy,” adding that McCarthy, R-Calif., was in “brazen, material breach” of agreements he made with House Republicans in January when he ran for speaker. Gaetz said as House rules permit, he would be filing a “motion to vacate the chair.”  Procedural votes could be offered to halt the motion or it could trigger a House floor vote on whether McCarthy should remain speaker. No speaker has ever been removed from office through such a move.

Gaetz had threatened to file his ouster motion if McCarthy worked with Democrats; in light of a potential government shutdown, McCarthy pivoted on Saturday to a bill that would draw Democratic support. Democrats jumped at the chance to keep the government open and both chambers passed the bill by overwhelming margins.  While McCarthy has the support of a large majority of House Republicans, he may need votes from some Democrats to keep his job. When Gaetz was asked how many Republicans he had on board to vote McCarthy out, he replied had enough to ensure that if McCarthy retains the speakership he would “be serving at the pleasure of the Democrats … The only way Kevin McCarthy is speaker of the House at the end of this coming week is if Democrats bail him out.”

However, Gaetz has received noticeable opposition from many House Republicans. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., spoke of Gaetz’s “diatribe of delusional thinking” and said Gaetz was acting for “personal, political reasons.” McCarthy agree, saying that Gaetz was “more interested in securing TV interviews than doing something.” McCarthy added on Sunday that Gaetz would fail and said that Gaetz has been after him since he ran for speaker:  “Yes, I’ll survive,” McCarthy said.

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