Emmarae Gervasi, missing Patchogue, Long Island teen girl found by her dad after tip off 25 days after disappearing from family home. Willing runaway?
A Long Island teen who vanished when she got into an unknown car outside her home was found safe aboard a boat on Friday, nearly one month after her family reported her missing.
Emmarae Gervasi’s family feared that the 14-year-old was being held against her will when she disappeared from their Patchogue home around 5 p.m. on Dec. 9, 2024.
Gervasi was last seen walking out of her house without a jacket or shoes on and getting into a black car, according to Greater Long Island.
How did missing Patchogue teen girl end up on boat and was she really there against her will?
Security cameras captured her knocking on doors at a Bohemia motel the next day, but she disappeared again.
On Friday she was found on a boat in a marina near the White Cap Fish Market in Islip.
The marina is located 13 miles west of Patchogue.
Police said Emmarae is in custody and in good health.
The girl’s dad, Frank Gervasi who was elated to have Emmarae back did not disclose how his daughter ended up on the boat. Nor did the parent address who the 14 year old girl had driven off with on the day the she went missing and how Emmarae met that individual, amid speculation the teen girl may have met a man online or simply ran away from home.
‘I found Emma!’ the parent posted on Facebook. ‘Prayers answered.’
The organiser of private Facebook group, ‘Together Against Trafficking’ which seeks to discover missing local girls gave some insight as to Emmarae’s whereabouts in the last 25 days.
‘To address any misinformation: Emma was found in Islip by her father, thanks to a crucial tip. She was not there willingly, and she was overjoyed to see Frank Gervasi when reunited,’ Stephanie Rae posted.
Mystery tip leads to missing teen’s discovery
The post indicated an ongoing investigation involving multiple people.
‘We deeply appreciate the support and efforts of everyone who helped us find Emma. The love and kindness you’ve shown will mean so much to her once she’s able to process everything,’ Rae concluded.
It remained unclear how the father came to be tipped off and whether police were notified at the time of the tip-off?
Over the past month, Frank Gervasi pleaded for help on social media and searched for leads into his daughter’s appearance himself, driving around Long Island.
Friends, family and community members formed search parties to look for Gervasi.
On Thursday — the 25th day since her disappearance — the heartbroken father recorded a video message directed at his daughter.
‘Emma, if you hear this video, we love you very much,’ he said. ‘We miss you, and we want you to come home.’
Emmarae’s mother Melissa Dervay said a weight was “lifted off my body” when the intense search ended.
‘The moment I heard her voice and knew she was OK, I felt a weight lifted off my body,’ Dervay told Greater Long Island. ‘I’ve been so tense for the past four weeks, quietly fighting a battle. Now, I’m elated. I feel light, and I just want to scream, ‘She’s OK. She’s been found.”
