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Tonight, an active AMBER Alert remains in effect for 16-year-old Sophia Martin Franklin in Arkansas, more than 700 miles from her home in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
Sophia is 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs 186 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes. Missing for a week, she is believed to be traveling in a black 2014 Buick LaCrosse with Pennsylvania plate KGW5186. Authorities say her abductor is 40-year-old Gary Day, the father of Sophia’s unborn child.
The summer before her junior year, Sophia asked her parents if she could stay with her best friend’s family. The girls had been close for years and did everything together. Sophia argued it would save time and gas and promised to check in frequently. Her parents, wanting to make her happy, eventually agreed. In late July, Sophia moved in and said she was having the time of her life.
Meanwhile, Day was four years into a six-year probation sentence and accustomed to surprise visits from his probation officer. But in December, he appeared unusually nervous during an unannounced check. The officer spotted someone running out the back door and chased her down. After intense questioning, the girl admitted she was 16 years old, from Wisconsin, and had been with Day since August. Her family had no idea.
Authorities removed Sophia from Day’s home and took her for a medical examination before contacting her parents. They were shocked to learn their daughter had been three states away with a predator—and even more appalled to discover she was pregnant.
Sophia was returned to Wisconsin as quickly as possible. Her parents took every step to protect her from Day and help her heal.
Joining Nancy Grace today:
Additional Guest
Dr. Stacy Vaughan – Vice President of Growth and Prevention at Childhelp; website: www.childhelp.org; Instagram and Facebook: @childhelp; YouTube: @Childhelporg
“Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.
Feature Photos via Beaver Fam PD
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