8 arrested on rape, sex trafficking charges in case of 14-year-old girl suffering ’25 days of hell’

Authorities in New York announced the arrest of eight people allegedly involved with the kidnapping and sex trafficking of a Long Island teen girl who went missing for 25 days.

On Dec. 9, a 14-year-old girl went missing from her home in East Patchogue.

‘It was a gift from God. I can’t describe the feeling I had when I grabbed her.’

The girl’s father allegedly found his daughter on a boat docked in Islip on Jan. 3.

Suffolk County police confirmed to People magazine that the teenager was found on that date but did not reveal the details of where and how she was discovered.

The New York Post reported that 52-year-old Jacquelyn Comiskey is accused of transporting the girl to the home of Bunice Knight in exchange for crack cocaine.

Another suspect, 34-year-old Elizabeth Hunter, is linked to the allegations of abuse of the teen, according to court documents.

Newsday reported that “Hunter is accused of spending a week in December with the teen on the boat, where she is alleged to have taken nude and sexually explicit photographs of the girl that she used to advertise the teen for sex in exchange for drugs and money, prosecutors said at her arraignment.”

Comiskey and Hunter both were charged Tuesday with sex trafficking and endangering the welfare of a child. Both women have pleaded not guilty.

Hunter also was charged with promoting a sexual performance by a child and endangering the welfare of a child. She pleaded not guilty.

District Court Judge Evan Tanenbaum set bond for Hunter and Comiskey at $1.5 million. They remain in custody at the Suffolk County Jail.

The missing teen allegedly was found aboard Francis Buckheit’s 56-foot boat, which reportedly was docked at an Islip marina.

Buckheit was arrested Jan. 3 and hit with charges of kidnapping, rape, and endangering the welfare of a child.

Just 10 days later, Bunice Knight was arrested and charged with a count of rape and three counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance.

Three other men were arrested and charged in the case: 63-year-old Alton Harrell, who was arrested Jan. 17, and 63-year-old Daniel Burke and 63-year-old Robert Eccleston, both of whom were arrested Jan. 24.

Harrell, Burke, and Eccleston all were charged with kidnapping, rape, and endangering the welfare of a child. All three have pleaded not guilty.

On Wednesday, an eighth suspect was arrested in connection with the missing Long Island teen.

Kevin McDonald, a 20-year-old man from Medford, has been charged with second-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child.

Prosecutors accused McDonald of raping the teen inside a car on Dec. 10, then dropping her off at a hotel in Bohemia.

McDonald pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Suffolk County District Court.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said, “I thank God that this child is now safe, but we’re going to certainly look into the circumstances behind how she went missing and the responsible parties.”

The girl’s father told News 12 Long Island that “it was 25 days of hell” before his daughter was “alive in my arms. It was a gift from God. I can’t describe the feeling I had when I grabbed her.”

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