Missing Teenager Emmarae Gervasi's Dad Says She Was A 'Sex-Trafficking Victim' and 'Forced To Do Things A 14-Year-Old Girl Shouldn't Have To Do' After Finding Her Alive On A Boat
The teen was missing for 26 days.
Jan. 6 2025, Published 5:23 p.m. ET
Missing New York teenager Emmarae Gervasi's dad has said his daughter was a "victim of sex trafficking" after she was found alive on a boat after being missing for 26 days.
RadarOnline.com can reveal that the teen's dad, Frank Gervasi, shared an update on her recovery and explained that she was "forced to do things that a 14-year-old girl shouldn’t have to do."
The teen's dad revealed details about the ordeal.
On December 9, the Long Island teen mysteriously went missing after she left her Patchogue home after speaking to her father on the phone regarding dinner plans and got into an unknown car.
The teen left the house without a coat on and without any shoes.
According to her dad, Emmarae struggled with drug addiction due to childhood trauma, but he said he thought she was on the right path.
According to reports, the teen was seen on security cameras the next day at a motel in Bohemia knocking on doors before she disappeared again.
While keeping some details private for now as the investigation continues, the teen's dad explained that his daughter ran off with a man she met online and was later picked up by a "random 65-year-old man."
The teen went missing on December 9.
For the next few weeks, the teen's dad spent day and night searching for his daughter, asking the public for help, and putting up flyers with the hopes of finding her.
After 26 days, her father received a tip that claimed his daughter was on a boat.
In a video he posted to discuss what possibly happened to his daughter, he stated: "Emma was being held against her will."
"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."
The dad pleaded for any help with locating his daughter.
After spending 26 days looking for his daughter, the dad revealed more about the tip from an unknown woman.
He explained in a video posted Saturday morning: "She is home. She is in a facility and getting the help she needs and is safe.
"I'd like to thank the community for all the support you gave us. Posting all the videos, pushing all the content, Handing out flyers, donating your time to look for my missing girl. It is those things that are going to help bring other kids home.
"I got an anonymous tip yesterday, and I want to thank that person for coming forward and giving me information about my daughter. 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."
He admitted that he was initially skeptical of the tip he received.
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He admitted that he was initially skeptical of the tip because he received many throughout his search, but he followed through with it and ended up finding his daughter.
He said in an interview with 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."
The teen's family was receiving help from the Gabby Petito Foundation throughout the painful ordeal, and now he wants to pay it forward by helping other families in New York search for their missing children.
He said in a video posted on Sunday: "My nightmare is over. However, other parents’ nightmares are still existing — and their children are still missing. It’s an awful feeling, and it’s something that we’re going to be actively working on, trying to figure out how to help other families.
"Trafficking is a huge problem across the world. It’s a very big problem on Long Island, and I stress that parents should keep an eye on their children.
"These people are predators, and they will stop at nothing to get to your kids."
On Monday, just days after she was found, Suffolk County police announced they made an arrest in the case involving the teen.
