A man accused of kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter in Boston and posing as a member of the prominent Rockefeller family may have planted false clues that he planned to flee the country in a yacht, authorities now believe.
Clark Rockefeller allegedly snatched his little girl, Reigh Boss, Sunday during a visit supervised by a social worker. Authorities say he then fled in an SUV driven by another person.
Authorities received tips Sunday that Rockefeller, who has used many aliases and has a murky background, may try to leave the country in a newly purchased yacht. Rockefeller recently told confidantes that he had procured a 72-foot catamaran called "The Serenity" with $300,000 in gold bullion, the Boston Herald reported.
But police cannot confirm that Rockefeller ever purchased a boat—and believe his talk of leaving the country may have been a ruse.
Police are investigating a possible sighting of the father and his little blonde daughter at a car dealership in Smyrna, Del.
They also continued to question a woman, Aileen Ang of Ipswich, Mass., who was reportedly paid $500 to drive the 38-year-old divorced father and his daughter to New York's Grand Central Terminal, where they were last seen on Sunday.
Ang's mother said her daughter was unaware she was assisting in a kidnapping, according to a report in the Boston Herald.
Boston police issued an arrest warrant for Rockefeller on charges of custodial kidnapping. He also was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon because the social worker was injured while trying to stop the vehicle.
On Wednesday, authorities released images of two dresses that investigators believe were purchased by Rockefeller. They said it is possible the missing girl is wearing one of the two outfits.
Reigh lives with her mother, Sandra Boss, who works in London as a partner in global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. and who also is on the board of The Mount, Edith Wharton's estate in Lenox, Mass.
Police posted Rockefeller's picture Wednesday on "America's Most Wanted" in the hopes of finding more information on his background.
“Investigators are interested in anyone who knew him prior to the 1990s,” said BPD spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll told the Herald. “They are researching school records and paper trails, unsuccessfully thus far.”
Little has been made public about Rockefeller's past.
Fraser Seitel, a spokesman for the descendants of John D. Rockefeller Sr., said Clark Rockefeller is not a relative of that side of the wealthy family and there is also no indication that the fugitive is a descendant of William Rockefeller, John D. Rockefeller Sr.'s only sibling.
The Valley News, of Lebanon, N.H., reported in 2004 that Clark Rockefeller donated $110,000 to the town of Cornish, N.H., where he and Sandra Boss were part-time residents.
Rockefeller is a former director of Boston's exclusive Algonquin Club, but resigned from the club three months ago, club manager Lassaad Riahi said Monday.
"What I do know is he's a gentleman. He's a kind man. Polite. Very, very intelligent," Riahi said. "I am very shocked."
Click here for more on this story from MyFOXBoston.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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