Long Island police have arrested a second suspect in connection with the mysterious month-long disappearance of 14-year-old Emmarae Gervasi, who was found on a boat. Her father believes she is a victim of sex trafficking.
Vanice Knight, 47, of Copiague, was charged Friday with rape and endangering the welfare of a child. NBC New York reported.
Gervasi disappeared from her Patchogue home on Dec. 9 around 5 p.m. after jumping into an unknown car.
Her father, Frank Gervasi, found her on a boat at Whitecap Marina in Islip on January 3 after receiving helpful information.
The same day Emarae was rescued by boat, she was taken to Knight's home near the marina for about an hour, the paper said.
Authorities used surveillance cameras from a nearby home to identify and arrest Knight.
“What was done in the dark will be brought to light,” Frank Gervasi said on Facebook following Knight's arrest.
A grand jury indicted Knight, but details were not released until the indictment was unsealed at an arraignment scheduled for next week. News 12 Long Island reported.
Frank Gervasi searched daily for his missing daughter, posting video updates on social media and assisting search teams formed by community members.
Mr. Gervasi said his daughter She said she was a victim of sex trafficking and was “forced to do things that a 14-year-old girl should not do.”
He said his daughter had struggled with substance abuse in the past and was wearing an ankle monitor the night she went missing.
“The person who came to pick her up at my house took off the bracelet, but once again those unpleasant people did what they did to her, and she was already under the influence of drugs,” Gervasi said. He previously told the Post. “Then she started walking aimlessly.”
“If you look at the types of drugs they're doing, there's definitely a link between drugs and trafficking,” he added. “The powerful drugs they use [on] These girls become addicted to human trafficking. ”
In a Facebook video posted on January 4, Emarae said she is “currently in a facility and getting the help she needs.”
Knight is the second person arrested in connection with the teenage boy's disappearance.
Francis Burkheit, 64, was arrested and charged with kidnapping a teenage boy on January 6th.
Burkheit, the owner of the boat where Emarae was found, had plans to transport her to the Carolinas before she was arrested, News 12 reported, citing court documents.
Mr. Burkheit and Mr. Knight have both pleaded not guilty.
“There's more to the story than what's being told,” Burkheit's attorney, Daniel Papa, said after the arraignment.
It is not clear whether the two know each other.
