Two more men arrested in Patchogue teen kidnapping case; brings total to five

Two men aged in their 60s have been arrested and charged with kidnapping in connection with the widely publicized 25-day disappearance of a 14-year-old Patchogue girl, according to a Newsday report.

Daniel Burke, 63, of Bohemia, and Robert Eccleston, 61, of Islip, were arrested Friday and arraigned Saturday morning in Suffolk County District Court in Central Islip. A total of five men have now been charged in the girl’s disappearance, which lasted from the moment she entered a car that had pulled up in front of her home on Dec. 9 until she was found alone on a 56-foot boat in an Islip marina on Jan. 3.

Newsday reported that investigators allege the men were involved in kidnapping the teen and holding her at two separate locations — including a detached garage — between Dec. 10 and 13.

Burke pleaded not guilty to first-degree kidnapping, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and charges of second-degree rape and child endangerment. Prosecutors allege he kept the teen at his Valley Forge Drive home in Bohemia and had sexual contact with her, Newsday reported.

Eccleston faces charges of second-degree kidnapping, second-degree rape and child endangerment. He is accused of sexually assaulting the girl twice in a detached garage behind his Monell Avenue residence in Islip, the report said. He also pleaded not guilt in court.

The Monell Avenue home is less than a mile from where the girl was found on Jan. 3 — on a boat docked at Whitecap Marina in Islip.

At their arraignments, Burke was remanded to Suffolk County Jail without bail, while Eccleston’s bail was set at $500,000 cash or $1 million bond.

The charges against both men are based on statements they made to police and a seven-page sworn statement provided by the teen on the day she was found.

Burke and Eccleston’s arrests follow previous charges against three other men: Francis Buckheit, who allegedly held the teen on his boat; Alton Harrell, who is accused of keeping her in an abandoned Bellport house; and Bunice Knight, 47, charged with sexually assaulting the teen at his Copiague home, all have been charged with rape, among other charges.

The teen was held in numerous locations by five suspects during her disappearance, according to the existing charges, even as her disappearance was highly publicized in the media and via an intense social media effort to find her.

A timeline of the girl’s disappearance case

Dec. 9

• The 14-year-old Patchogue girl exited her home about 5 p.m. and entered a car that had pulled up front in front of her home. Her ankle bracelet — which she had been wearing due to a PINS (Person in Need of Supervision) court order — was found a block away.

Dec. 9-13

• Multiple suspects allegedly held the teen at several different locations.

Dec. 13

• The girl’s father announced a $15,000 reward for any information leading to the girl’s return, signaling the family’s desperation and commitment to bringing her home.

Dec. 13-Jan. 3

• Buckheit allegedly kept the teen on his 56-foot boat.
• Prosecutors believe Buckheit planned to transport her to the Carolinas.

Dec. 24

• On Christmas Eve, the girl’s father made a heartfelt video plea, urging the community to keep searching and hold out hope.

Dec. 29

• The girl’s mother, who divorced the girl’s father in 2014, broke her silence, sharing her heartbreak and urging her daughter to come home.

Jan. 3

• The teen was found on a boat docked at Whitecap Marina in Islip.

Jan. 4

• Buckheit is arrested and charged.

Jan. 14

• Knight is arrested and charged.

Jan. 18

• Harrell is arrested and charged.

_{Top photo: A 14-year-old Patchogue girl, who was missing at the time, was allegedly kept inside a detached garage at this Monell Avenue home in Islip last month (Google Maps).}