LONG ISLAND, NY — Frank Gervasi fears the worst about the disappearance of his 14-year-old daughter, Emma.
She left her home on Long Island without a coat and disappeared into a car that drove off into the rain before the family was to sit down to dinner on the night of Dec. 9.
The teen has run away before, and would usually call within a day or so later.
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There has been no word from her.
“We have exhausted all leads and can’t find her at this point,” Gervasi told Patch over texts on Friday morning. “We are still looking, and won’t stop. I fear the worst.”
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Like any parent who has not seen their child in nearly two weeks, Gervasi fears Emma could have been hurt or worse.
“Yes, I have a bad feeling, but can’t give up hope,” he said. “This is the longest she has ever been gone, and usually, she calls a day or so later.”
“I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t reach out at all,” he added.
Emma had a great day when she went missing, family friend Stephanie Biondi previously told Patch.
She spent time at her stepmother’s job and then visited Gervasi at his office.
In a conversation before dinner, she asked him what the family would be having once he got home, and then she told him that she loved him.
Then five minutes later, wearing just a black t-shirt and black leggings, she went to get something from the family’s truck parked outside their home on Terrell Street in Patchogue.
On security video, she can be seen getting into an unknown car that is hard to make out.
Whether she went into the car willingly or not, remains to be seen, according to Biondi.
Emma did not have a cell phone, so her family does not know how she could have been in contact with anyone to come pick her up, she said.
Gervasi said abduction “is a possibility at this point.”
Emma had been working through some trauma over the past four months, and she spent much of her time at a horse ranch as part of the healing process, so it seems her disappearance was unplanned, according to Biondi.
The Gervasi family want her home safe regardless of the circumstances, she said.
Emma has brown hair and eyes, stands 5 feet, 4 inches tall, and weighs about 140 lbs. She has been known to frequent Patchogue, Bellport, and Mastic.
A Suffolk police spokeswoman said the 5th Squad of detectives in Patchogue are continuing to investigate her disappearance.
There have been no updates in the case, however, “all leads will be followed up on,” a she said.
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Here case was first highlighted on the website of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
A Suffolk police spokesman said Gervasi’s profile was added to the center’s site as a matter of routine.
It is not clear why the department did not send out an alert of its own, as is the case for missing children and vulnerable adults.
Emma’s profile was, however, featured earlier this week on the department’s Facebook for “Missing Monday.”
Over the past 12 days, there has been a swell of support on social media for Gervasi’s family as they desperately try to find her, with followers reposting her photo continually to spread the word.
The family of Gabby Petito, who now advocate for the missing, have also highlighted Emma’s case, telling Facebook followers to please be on the lookout for her “anywhere on Long Island” and “the tri-state area.”
They said she has a tattoo on the back of her neck with the numbers “222” and on one of her arms, a rose, and she loves horses.
“Please keep your eyes open,” the post concluded.
Emma’s family is now offering a $15,000 reward for her safe return.
Despite the stalled search, Gervasi remains hopeful.
Any information that is put out about Emma’s disappearance will help bring her home, he said.
“If she somehow reads this … please come home,” he said. “We love and miss her.”
He is asking anyone with information about her whereabouts to call, 631-294-0265.
Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS, a confidential police hotline.
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