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Appearing on Tuesday night’s “Dr. Phil Primetime,” a Patchogue father shared new details about the anonymous tip that led him to his missing 14-year-old daughter on a boat in the White Cap Marina in Islip last Friday.
Speaking remotely with Dr. Phil, Frank Gervasi revealed that the tipster was actually with his daughter when she made the call. The woman convinced the dad that her information was legitimate by describing the teen’s tattoos in detail.
“She seemed to have a lot of information on my daughter,” Gervasi told Dr. Phil during a wide-ranging interview about his daughter’s 25-day disappearance. “She was definitely in the presence of my daughter when she made the call to me.”
When asked about the tipster’s potential involvement, Gervasi said he believes she was “an active participant in what was going on” but had experienced “a moment of clarity” that prompted her to reach out. The ongoing criminal investigation prevented him from providing more information on that aspect of the case, Gervasi said.
The woman remained at the scene during the father’s 20-minute drive to the boat, Gervasi said. Upon arrival, the woman warned him to enter “at your own risk,” uncertain whether the man allegedly holding the teen was still onboard.
“She was very nice, very open. You know, I didn’t feel threatened at all,” the father said of the tipster. While driving to the boat, Gervasi said, he alerted Suffolk Police about the tip, but they had not yet arrived to the scene.
After nearly a month of searching for his daughter, Gervasi chose to enter the boat immediately rather than wait, he told Dr. Phil.
“I didn’t want to take a chance of, God forbid, the police had to get some kind of warrant and the guy having to hide my daughter,” he said, before describing how he broke through the door to get inside.
His daughter emerged from behind a curtain as she heard the commotion, he said.
“The moment I saw her, you know, it was just… that was a beautiful moment,” Gervasi recalled, noting that his daughter immediately recognized him and appeared surprised, asking “How the hell did you find me?”
Gervasi added that the girl seemed relieved to see him. Police arrived about five minutes later, he said.
Earlier in the interview, Gervasi described the moments leading up to his daughter’s disappearance about 5 p.m. on a rainy night, Dec. 9. He told Dr. Phil that surveillance cameras captured a car pulling up outside their Terrell Street home and that his daughter got inside the car without shoes or a jacket.
The rain had fogged the cameras, making it difficult to get a clear view of the vehicle, Gervasi said.
A few days into her disappearance, the father received a 3 a.m. phone call with a girl’s voice on the other end saying “I love you.” The caller then hung up quickly, he said.
After her rescue, Gervasi said his daughter confirmed she had made that brief call, telling him it was “the only phone call she was allowed to make.”
While the investigation into the girl’s missing persons case continues, Francis Buckheit, 64, of East Islip has been arrested and charged with rape, kidnapping and child endangerment in connection with the case, according to numerous media reports.
Buckheit pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on Saturday and is being held without bail. He is due back in court on Thursday. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office has stated that the case is under investigation, with a grand jury presentation expected soon.
Editor’s note: Greater Long Island is no longer identifying the girl because she is appears to be the victim of an alleged sex crime.
Top photo: Merit+ television
