An eighth individual was arrested last week in the kidnapping case involving a 14-year-old girl from Patchogue. Since the first arrest on Jan. 3, there have been seven additional arrests, and it remains unclear as to whether or not others will be charged.
“Anyone that played a role in the abuse of a child, we are going to hold responsible, and we’ve done that,” Suffolk County district attorney Ray Tierney said during a press conference
The minor went missing in the evening of Dec. 9 after getting into an unknown vehicle. She was found 25 days later by her father, after receiving a tip from an unknown individual. She was located on a boat in Islip, near White Cap Fish Market, where her captors planned on taking the minor to the Carolinas.
Kevin McDonald, 20, of Medford, was charged most recently with second-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child. McDonald is accused of smoking marijuana with the minor and engaging in sexual conduct.
The first person charged in the case was Francis Buckheit, 64, of East Islip. Buckheit is facing the more severe charge of first-degree kidnapping, a class A-I felony in New York State, as well as second-degree rape and child endangerment charges. The boat the girl was found in is owned by Buckheit.
Bunice Knight, 47, of Copiague, was the second person charged in the case. He is being charged with second-degree rape, endangering the welfare of a child, and three counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance.
Alton Harrell, 35, of Bellport, is the third person charged. Harrell is the individual who picked up the minor the night she went missing and brought her to a location in North Bellport. He faces second-degree rape and kidnapping charges.
The fourth person charged is Daniel Burke, 63, of Bohemia. Burke is facing the same severe charges as Knight: first-degree kidnapping, second-degree rape and child endangerment. He is being held without bail.
The sentencing for the class A-I felony Buckheit and Burke are facing is a minimum of 15 years in prison, with a maximum of a life sentence.
The fifth person charged in the case is Robert Eccleston, 61, of Islip. He faces second-degree rape and kidnapping, and child endangerment charges. Eccleston is alleged to have had sex with the minor twice.
Jacquelyn Comiskey, 52, of Bellport, is the sixth person charged. Comiskey was charged with child sex trafficking and endangering the welfare of a child. She allegedly exchanged the minor to an individual in Copiague for crack cocaine.
The seventh individual is Elizabeth Hunter, 34, of Islip. Hunter has also been charged with child sex trafficking, promoting a sexual performance by a child and endangering the welfare of a child. She used images of the minor in an attempt to exchange her for drugs and money.
All of the individuals involved have pleaded not guilty to the charges they face. The Islip Bulletin reached out to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office for a statement and received the following response:
“The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office does not confirm or provide information regarding alleged victims of sexual assault.”
