After missing for 26 days, missing Long Island teen Emmarae Gervasi, 14, was discovered being held on a boat anchored off of Main Street in Islip, an apparent victim of sex trafficking, according to the girl's father.
Frank Gervasi, Emmarae's father, discovered his daughter on a vessel named The Phoenix on Friday, January 3, after receiving what he referred to as an anonymous tip, according to local media reports.
Gervasi broke into the boat and found his daughter apparently "strung out" on drugs but "coherent," adding that she "She wasn’t allowed to leave the boat for many days." It was at that point that he contacted the authorities, who responded with a SWAT team.
His daughter had originally gone missing on December 9.
"I did find her myself before police got there. It was 26 days of hell seeing her alive in my arms," he said in an interview. "It was a gift from God. I can't describe the feeling I had when I grabbed her."
Emmarae is currently recovering in a hospital; Suffolk County Police have arrested Francis Buckheit of Islip, 65, in connection with her disappearance, according to a Facebook post by Gervasi.