Emmarae Gervasi, a 14-year-old Long Island girl, went missing in early December 2024. Thankfully, her father, Frank Gervasi, was able to find Emmarae in a boat by herself thanks to an anonymous tip. Frank now claims that Emmarae was sex-trafficked for the month that she went missing.
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Frank Gervasi talked with the New York Post, stating that his daughter was abused by several individuals, including a 65-year-old who was arrested by police on Friday, January 3. Gervasi identified the suspect as Francis Buckheit and claimed he was planning to ship Emmarae south.
"The person who picked her up at my house, he removed the bracelet and, again, unsavory characters did what they did with her and she was already under the influence of drugs," Frank Gervasi told the New York Post. "She just started wandering aimlessly after that."
Teenager Missing
Reportedly, Emmarae went missing on December 9 when she hopped inside a man's vehicle outside her family's house in Patchogue. Furthermore, surveillance cameras showed her knocking on Bohemia motel doors on December 10, only to go missing again, not to be seen for a month.
"The type of drugs they're doing, there's definitely a link between the drugs and trafficking," Frank continued. "Heavy drugs that they use [on] these girls to get addicted to traffic them."
Thankfully, Frank Gervasi received a call in early January 2025, from an anonymous woman telling him that Emmarae was in a boat in Islip. He would find Emmarae by herself at the White Cap Fish Market.
"She said, 'Oh my God, Dad! What are you doing here?' And, 'Thank God.' Basically, what she said and she gave me a big hug," Frank recalled about finding his daughter. "I didn't know what to expect when I went to the boat, whether there was somebody in there or not I got my daughter and then I cleared the entire boat and I realized there was nobody on there, but I realized he was returning shortly."
Suspect Arrested
On Friday, January 3, police arrested a 65-year-old individual in connection to Emmarae's case. While authorities have yet to confirm the identity of the suspect, Frank Gervasi identified him as Francis Buckheit. Moreover, it has been confirmed that he was charged with kidnapping, rape, and endangering a child. According to the New York Post, he is being held without bail.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney held a press conference on Tuesday, January 7. He stated that the county attorney's office will make sure that Emmarae "stays safe." Tierney didn't reveal much when prompted whether there were more individuals involved in Emmarae's abduction.
"I can tell you there were monumental efforts undertaken on behalf of both my office, the PD, the marshal service as well as a number of entities," Tierney said. "I can tell you that if anyone thinks that they can engage in this type of conduct with a minor without ramifications, well, we'll see what the grand jury says."
