Alleged Kidnap Dad's Twisting Story Unravels

July 29, 2008 — -- From the moment Clark Rockefeller arrived in the town of Cornish, N.H., many in the tight-knit community had suspicions about his murky back story, according to a neighbor whose family owns a home on the same street as the kidnap suspect's property.

"He's a con, a fraud," said Sheila Gallagher, who knew Rockefeller from neighborhood cocktail and dinner parties in the former artist's colony. "You could tell that literally within five minutes of meeting him."

The newcomer with a famous name who claimed to have a large collection of original Mark Rothko paintings fashioned himself as a "philanthropist." But he had no clear job and did not always come through on the commitments he allegedly made to local nonprofit organizations and the lavish offers he would drop on neighbors.

"He would say, 'Come on my Learjet,' and the day would come and there would be no Learjet," Gallagher said, adding that Rockefeller's business executive wife, Sandra, was seldom around.

Rockefeller also was paranoid about his property, erecting gates and building what Gallagher described as a moat around the perimeter of his historic house, which belonged to American Impressionist painter Thomas Dewing and is now on the market.

The one thing that was clear, Gallagher said, is that Rockefeller adored his tow-headed daughter, Reigh.

Rockefeller, 48, is the sole suspect in the alleged kidnapping of his 7-year-old daughter in Boston Sunday. Authorities say they believe Rockefeller took off with the girl for New York, where a 72-foot catamaran may await the fugitive father and his child.

If you have any information about this case, click here to contact the Boston Police Department.

Boston police have issued an arrest warrant for Rockefeller on charges of custodial kidnapping, assault and battery, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

The suspect's puzzling profile continued to evolve today as the Boston Police Department announced that they had found the SUV used in his daughter's kidnap and were interviewing a livery driver who turned himself in to authorities for questioning. At the same time, the Coast Guard continued to scour New York marinas for a yacht named "Serenity," which could be the next stop in his abduction plan.

"Federal, state and local authorities are doing a sweep of the marinas, trying to find a matching description on the vessel," Patrick Montgomery, a Coast Guard spokesman in New York City, told ABCNews.com.

Clark Rockefeller was last seen in New York City's Grand Central Station on Sunday night, about seven hours after he allegedly executed the kidnap during a visit supervised by a social worker, according to police.