Hero New York dad saves 'kidnapped' daughter, 14, from boat after '26 days of hell' in Taken-style hunt
A 14-year-old Long Island teenager was found safe and alive board a mysterious boat after she went missing for the entire month of December
A New York teenager was discovered alive and safe after her father tracked her down in a Taken-style hunt one month after she mysteriously disappeared.
Emmarae Gervasi initially went missing from East Patchogue in Suffolk County on Dec. 9 after entering an unknown car outside of her home around 5 p.m. without a jacket or shoes on despite cold temperatures.
According to reports by Greater Long Island, security camera footage later captured her knocking on doors at a Bohemia motel the following day, but she went missing again.
Her father Frank later claimed his daughter initially met up with a man she met online, but was later picked up by a "random" 65-year-old stranger.
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After she went missing, Frank sent off on a frantic Taken-style search to locate his daughter and worked closely with the Suffolk County Police Department to pinpoint her whereabouts.
In the Hollywood movie, an American father, played by Liam Neeson, tracks down and saves his daughter after she's kidnapped by criminals in Paris.
In the following days and weeks, the community and police force banded together to set out search parties, helicopters, search dogs, fliers, and social media posts in an effort to find Emmarae.
In addition to all of this, Frank also put out a $10,000 reward for anyone who could help him bring his daughter home.
After Frank's tireless efforts, he was relieved when an anonymous tipster came forward with information that finally helped him locate his daughter.
In a Facebook post, Frank shared: "I got an anonymous tip yesterday, and I want to thank that person for coming forward and giving me information about my daughter."
He continued: "The phone call that I received was that she was on a boat in Islip. I followed it up on my own and I went down there to check. I bust into the boat and recovered my daughter. She has been saved and is alive. I believe it was persistency that helped bring her home."
After finding Emmarae in the boat 13 miles west of Patchogue, near the White Cap Fish Market, he brought her back to land and she is now recovering in hospital while her case remains an active investigation. While the details still remain unclear, Frank said he believes that she was involved with "some dangerous people" and insinuated that there was more than one person under investigation.
After reuniting with his daughter, Frank told Long Island News 12: "I did find her myself before police got there. 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 went on to add that after his experience he wants to help other parents in Long Island who are searching for their missing children.
Francis Buckheit has been charged with rape, kidnapping, and acting in a manner injurious to a child, nearly a month after the teenager vanished from her home in Long Island, New York.
The suspect entered a not guilty plea on Monday but her father said he believed Emmarae was a victim of sex trafficking.
“It was 26 days of hell seeing her alive in my arms,” Frank said.
“It was a gift from God. I can't describe the feeling I had when I grabbed her.”
Emmarae was rushed to hospital to recover after the ordeal.
Frank also explained, in a video, why he believed his 14-year-old had been sex trafficked during her 26 day disappearance.
"Emma was being held against her will,” Frank said.
"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," reports the New York Post
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