Police have made two more arrests in connection with a chilling case where a 14-year-old girl was reportedly kidnapped for sex trafficking.
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Earlier this month, authorities arrested a man in connection with a teenager who had been missing for almost four weeks. 14-year-old Emmarae Gervasi disappeared from her home on December 9 with a man she reportedly met online. Her father, Frank Gervasi, took to social media for assistance in tracking her down and eventually recovered her alone from a boat in Islip.
Suffolk County officers arrested a 65-year-old man in connection with Emmerae's disappearance at the start of January. According to the New York Post, Police have arrested two women from Long Island for their roles in the kidnapping. The outlet reports that Suffolk County police have arrested Jacquelyn Comiskey, 52, and Elizabeth Hunter, 34, with sex trafficking and endangering the welfare of a child. Authorities charged both women on Monday, January 27.
Per a disturbing report by Newsday, Comiskey allegedly took the girl to a house in Copiague "where she traded the girl for drugs to a man accused of raping her." Authorities are reportedly charging Hunter with promoting an obscene sexual performance of a child. In the Newsday report, Joseph Hanshe, a Defence Attorney, dismisses the claims as "hearsay."
The Two Women Have Pleaded 'Not Guilty' To The Charges
The New York Post says that both women pleaded 'not guilty' at Suffolk County First District Court on Tuesday. A judge has set both of their bails at $750,000. The outlet explains that police have arrested three other men this month in connection with Emmerae's disappearance. Alton Harrell, 63, Daniel Burke, 63, and Robert Eccleston, 63. Authorities have charged all three with kidnapping, rape, and endangering the welfare of a child. They have pleaded 'not guilty' to all charges.
Frank Gervasi posted on Instagram earlier this month saying he believed his daughter was a victim of sex trafficking. "She was not allowed to leave the boat unless she was escorted by somebody. And she was being forced to do things that no 14-year-old girl should have to do," he said. In a more recent entry on
Facebook, Gervasi posted 'What happens in the dark will come to the light as I said over and over again!!"
