What did Anthony Wright and Daniel Soto do to Emmarae Gervasi?
Frank Gervasi, 49, of Patchogue, Brookhaven, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, United States owns an auto body shop in Setauket, Brookhaven. His daughter Emmarae Gervasi, 14, has struggled with drug abuse in the past.
At around 5:00 p.m. on December 9, 2024, Emmarae left her family home in Patchogue to retrieve an item from her stepmother’s truck. The teenager, who was wearing a monitoring ankle bracelet, had run away from home at least once before.
A neighbor’s video surveillance system recorded footage of Emmarae entering a vehicle in front of her home. She was wearing a black shirt and leggings and left without her cell phone, identification, jacket or shoes.
Alton Harrell, 35, of Bellport, Brookhaven owns the vehicle. He allegedly picked up Emmarae that day, drove her to a house on Doane Avenue in Bellport and raped her.
On December 10, 2024, security cameras captured Emmarae knocking on doors at a motel in Bohemia, Suffolk County then she disappeared again. She initially went off with a man she met online and after leaving him, she was picked up allegedly by Francis Buckheit, 65, of East Islip, Islip.
From December 13, 2024 to January 3, 2025, Emmarae was kept on a 56-foot boat docked in a marina near the White Cap Fish Market in Islip, Suffolk County. The boat is owned by Buckheit.
Daniel Soto, 36, of Bay Shore, Islip allegedly had sex with Emmarae aboard the boat between December 13, 2024 and December 20, 2024. Anthony Wright, 40, of Amityville, Babylon, Suffolk County also allegedly had sex with her at his home on Silverpine Drive in Amityville between December 22, 2024 and January 3, 2025.
On January 3, 2025, Frank received an anonymous phone tip that led him to find Emmarae on the boat. On January 6, 2025, Buckheit was arrested.
On February 7, 2025, Soto was arrested. That day, he appeared in Suffolk County First District Court in Central Islip, Islip where he pleaded not guilty to second-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child.
On February 18, 2025, Emmarae gave a sworn written statement. On February 24, 2025, Wright was arrested based on that statement.
Wright was charged with second-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child. On February 25, 2025, he was arraigned in First District Court in Central Islip where he pleaded not guilty.
Bail for Wright was set at $500,000, $1 million insured bond or $1.5 million partially secured surety bond. He is represented by Eric Besso.
Represented by Danielle Papa, Buckheit was charged with kidnapping, child endangerment and rape. Represented by Katherine Fernandez, Soto was arraigned before Judge Bernard Cheng, who set bail at $50,000 cash or a $150,000 bond option.
Soto is the 12th person arrested in connection with Emmarae’s disappearance and Wright is the 13th one. Also arrested were Bunice Knight, 47, of Copiague, Babylon, Daniel Burke, 63, of Bohemia, Deshaun McClean, 42, of Deer Park, Babylon, Elizabeth Hunter, 34, of Islip, Jacquelyn Comiskey, 52, of Bellport, Kevin McDonald, 20, of Bellport, Ralph Knowles, 63, of Brentwood, Islip, Rebecca Browell, 48, of Brentwood and Robert Eccleston, 61, of Islip.
CONAN Daily 