Frank Gervasi heroically rescued his 14-year-old daughter, Emmarae Gervasi, after she went missing on December 9, allegedly kidnapped. After extensive searches and receiving anonymous tips, Frank found her on a boat in Islip, Long Island, 26 days after her disappearance. “Seeing her alive in my arms ended 26 days of hell,” he said. Emmarae, now recovering in hospital, had been feared to be with someone unwilling to let her leave. Francis Buckheit, 65, was arrested on charges of rape and kidnapping related to her case. Frank expressed immense gratitude to the community for their support during the search.
A heroic father has revealed how he used Taken-style intrigue to rescue his 14-year-old daughter after she was allegedly kidnapped.
Emmarae Gervasi, a resident of East Patchogue, Long Island, disappeared on Dec. 9 after she went to retrieve several items from her Jeep outside her home on Tyrrell Street.
A massive search operation continues for the missing teenager, with her father, Frank Gervasi, working closely with local police to track his daughter down.
In a surprising turn of events, Frank, who received an anonymous tip about her whereabouts, found Emalae on a large boat just off Main Street in Islip, Long Island.
“I found her myself before the police arrived. Seeing her alive in my arms ended 26 days of hell. It was a gift from God. I can’t describe the feeling I had when I grabbed her,” Frank said. news 12.
After her disappearance, her courageous father worked closely with her to follow up on his own leads in a Taken-style rescue operation.
Less than 24 hours after her disappearance, he received information that she had been walking aimlessly down a long road in Bohemia, and said: “She completely disappeared without a trace.”
Frank had previously told DailyMail.com that the last time he spoke to his daughter before she came home, she asked him what she was going to make for dinner, and after her sudden disappearance, the family was worried about her illness. I was worried.
On Monday, Buckheit pleaded not guilty in First District Court in Central Islip to charges of rape, kidnapping and acts in a residence endangering a child, according to court records.
She was found by her father, Frank Gervasi, in a large boat just off Main Street after receiving an anonymous tip about her whereabouts after “26 days of hell.”
Frank previously told DailyMail.com: “I am concerned that she is being held against her will.” I know she’s with someone, but they’re either trying to convince her to stay, they won’t let her leave, or worst, they might already be dead. ”
Francis Buckheit, 65, has been arrested on charges of rape and kidnapping in connection with Emarae’s case, his lawyer Daniel Marie Papa confirmed, according to Patch.
On Monday, Buckheit pleaded not guilty in First District Court in Central Islip to charges of rape, kidnapping and child endangerment, according to court records.
His arrest date is listed as January 3, the same day Emarae was found. Buckheit is being held without bail and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday morning, records show.
Frank’s heroic actions have been likened to the plot of the 2008 hit film Taken.
In the film, former CIA officer Brian Mills, played by Liam Neeson, travels to Paris to find his daughter, who has been kidnapped by criminals.
Brian defies adversity and hunts down the culprit who stole his daughter, and eventually reunites with his daughter.
Emarae was found safe and is currently recovering in hospital, and the case remains under investigation.
Francis Buckheit, 65, was arrested and charged Friday in connection with the disappearance of Emarae Gervasi, 14, who was found on a boat in Islip, Long Island.
Frank’s friends and family joined local residents in the search for Emmarae.
A search was conducted in upstate New York, using police dogs and helicopters, but fortunately no bodies were found.
Frank himself begged for news on social media, and even drove around Long Island looking for clues about his daughter’s disappearance.
In a video posted to Facebook on Saturday morning, Frank thanked everyone who helped find the girl.
“She’s at home. She’s in a facility, she’s getting the help she needs and she’s safe,” he said with relief.
“We would like to thank our community for all the support you have given us. Posting all the videos, pushing all the content, handing out flyers, and your time to help find our missing girls. Please donate. They will help bring other children home.
“Yesterday, I received an anonymous tip. I would like to thank that person for coming forward and providing information about my daughter. The call I received was that she was on a boat in Islip. I tracked it down myself and went there to check.
“I jumped into the boat and rescued my daughter. She was saved and she’s alive. I think it was persistence that brought her home,” Frank said.
The concerned father also told the New 12 that he believed Emmarae went out with an acquaintance and was afraid to return home afterward “as a result of that.”
He also believes she was picked up by a random man who took her to a trailer park and was detained there before being transferred to a boat.
Emmarae’s mother, Melissa Dubey, said “a weight was lifted from my body” after the intense search ended.
“The moment I heard her voice and knew she was okay, it felt like a weight was lifted off my body,” Dubey said of Greater Long Island.
Her family had been worried about her illness ever since she suddenly disappeared on December 9th. Frank (pictured) previously told DailyMail.com that the last time he spoke to his daughter, he asked her what she would make for dinner.
Emarae was found safe and is currently recovering in hospital, and the case remains under investigation.
Her worried father believes Emarae went out with an acquaintance, but then became afraid to return home “under the influence”.
“For the last four weeks I’ve been so nervous and been fighting a quiet battle. Now I’m overjoyed. I feel lighter and I just want to scream, ‘She’s okay.’ She was found. ”
While she was missing, Frank said he started receiving strange phone calls from unknown numbers, and the voice on the other end sounded like his daughter’s.
“She said, ‘I love you,’ and I said, ‘Emma?'” he explained, but the call immediately hung up and the number could not be traced.
He even offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who could help bring his daughter home.
Suffolk County police later seized a large boat from the pier as evidence.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Suffolk County Police Department and District Attorney’s Office for comment.
