False lead in search for missing dad, daughter

updated 5:19 p.m. ET Aug. 1, 2008

BOSTON - Police dismissed several witness reports on Friday that a Boston man who allegedly abducted his 7-year-old daughter was spotted in the Caribbean the day before.

Employees at an auto store and at a convenience store in Turks and Caicos said they recognized Clark Rockefeller and his daughter Reigh Boss from photos as the people they helped the day before, Turks and Caicos Sgt. Calvin Chase said Friday.

But the sightings were investigated and found not to be credible, Boston Police spokesman Eddy Chrispin said. "It definitely was not him," Chrispin said.

The girl's mother, Sandra Boss, on Thursday used a video posted on YouTube to appeal to her estranged husband for their daughter Reigh's safe return. Boss now lives in London with Reigh, who had gone to Boston to visit her father.

Rockefeller, 48, was last seen at New York's Grand Central Terminal on Sunday night, just hours after the alleged abduction.

A former babysitter for the family told NBC's TODAY show that she didn't believe the father would hurt Reigh.

"From what I know of Clark, I don’t think he would ever harm her physically," Emily Miller said Friday. "He’s a nice and gentle man, so I’m not concerned about her safety, no."

Video   Mom's plea August 1: Sandra Boss is pleading for her daughter's safe return home. NBC’s Mike Taibbi reports. Today show

Police suspect he may have planted false clues to throw investigators off his trail, including that he may be trying to flee to Bermuda or Peru on a yacht.

A Massachusetts woman who told police Rockefeller paid her $500 to drive him from Boston to New York City said she had no idea anything was amiss.

Family friend Aileen Ang told reporters Wednesday that Rockefeller asked her to pick him up Sunday at the Boston Sailing Club. When she arrived, Ang said Rockefeller's daughter was with him.

During the ride, Ang said the girl seemed happy, telling her father she loved him.

After she dropped them off, Ang said she learned an Amber Alert had been issued and immediately called police.

Rockefeller used at least four known aliases, and a spokesman for the Rockefellers has said there is no indication the fugitive is related to the famous family.

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