A 65-year-old man was arrested in connection with a 14-year-old girl’s disappearance on Long Island.
The teenager, identified as Emmarae Gervasi, was found by her father, Frank Gervasi, 49, after “26 days of hell.”
Frank revealed that he received an anonymous tip about his daughter that led him to a large boat just off Main Street in Islip, Long Island.
Emmarae Gervasi, 14, was rescued by her father, Frank Gervasi, after vanishing on December 9 in Patchogue, Long Island
Image credits: longbeard1975
Image credits: Frank Gervasi
“I did find her myself before police got there,” he told News 12.
Emmarae’s rescue led to the arrest of a suspect named Francis Buckheit, 65.
It was on December 9 when the teenage girl disappeared. She had gotten into a strange car outside her Patchogue home and vanished without a trace.
Her father noted that she had run away from home at least once in the past.
The day after her December 9 disappearance, surveillance cameras captured Emmarae knocking on doors at a Bohemia motel before vanishing once again.
The teenager was discovered on a docked boat in Islip following an anonymous tip
Image credits: longbeard1975
Image credits: News 12
The father believes she initially went with someone she met online and was later picked up by a “random” stranger.
The worried parent urged the public to rally together and help find her whereabouts.
“I fear that she is being held against her will. I know she is with somebody and they are either convincing her to stay or won’t let her leave or worse she may be dead by now,” he said at the time.
“I won’t stop looking until I find her,” he added.
Frank later revealed that he received an anonymous tip over the phone from a woman who claimed Emmarae was on a boat near the White Cap Fish Market and Seafood Restaurant in Islip, Long Island.
The discovery of Emmarae’s whereabouts led to the arrest of Francis Buckheit, 65
Image credits: longbeard1975
Image credits: longbeard1975
“The phone call I received was that she was on a boat in Islip,” he said in a Facebook video. “The lady who gave me the tip was afraid to go in the boat.”
The heroic parent managed to miraculously save the teenager, who was found alone on the docked boat on January 3.
The father said he “busted” onto the boat and rescued her, even though there was allegedly another lookout boat close by, meant to keep an eye on her. He believes she was in the custody of “some dangerous people.”
“It was the end of 26 days of hell seeing her alive in my arms. It was a gift from God. I can’t describe the feeling I had when I grabbed her,” he told News 12.
The arrest of suspect Francis was also listed as January 3. He pleaded not guilty to charges of r*pe, kidnapping, and acting in a manner injurious to a child. He is currently being held without bail.
The suspect has been charged with r*pe, kidnapping, and acting in a manner injurious to a child
Image credits: Fame News
Emmarae’s mother, Melissa Dervay, expressed immense relief after her daughter was brought to safety.
“The moment I heard her voice and knew she was OK, I felt a weight lifted off my body,” she told Greater Long Island. “I’ve been so tense for the past four weeks, quietly fighting a battle. Now, I’m elated.”
Frank believes his daughter was a sex trafficking victim and was “forced to do things that a 14-year-old girl shouldn’t have to do.”
“Emma was being held against her will,” he said in a video. “She was not allowed to leave the boat unless she was escorted by somebody, and she was being forced to do things that a 14-year-old girl shouldn’t have to do.”
“So I do believe this is sex trafficking, and it’s being looked into,” he added.
Frank Gervasi believes his daughter was a victim of sex trafficking and was being held against her will on the boat
Image credits: News 12
Image credits: longbeard1975
He said the teenager is now recovering after the horrifying ordeal that lasted about a month.
“She is in a facility right now getting the help she needs and is safe,” he said in a video posted on Saturday.
The father said his desperation to find his daughter pushed him to drive around Long Island for any clues that could lead him to her. At one point, “I was starting to lose hope,” he said. “I woke up yesterday, and I wanted to give up. I wanted to die. I just didn’t know where my little girl was.”
“I’d like to thank the community for all of the support that you gave us,” the relieved father said in a video
Now that his daughter is safe and recovering, Frank said he hopes he can help other parents going through the same “nightmare.”
“My nightmare is over. However, other parents’ nightmares are still existing—and their children are still missing,” he said. “It’s an awful feeling, and it’s something that we’re going to be actively working on, trying to figure out how to help other families.”
“Trafficking is a huge problem across the world,” he went on to say. “It’s a very big problem on Long Island, and I stress that parents should keep an eye on their children.
“These people are predators, and they will stop at nothing to get to your kids.”
Details about the suspect have not yet been released as the case remains under investigation.
“You’re an amazing dad !!!! You had it in you and you did it,” one social media user said following the news of her rescue
