This Teen Was Abducted After Meeting An Older Man Online Who Got Her Pregnant
The search continues for Sophia Franklin, a 16-year-old from Wisconsin who’s believed to have been abducted by a 40-year-old man from Arkansas after he got her pregnant.
Sophia first met the man, Gary Day, online in April 2024. According to a criminal complaint, she had a history of speaking to strangers online, pushing her parents to restrict her internet and phone use.
Then, in July 2024, Sophia told her parents that she would be staying with a friend in Beaver Dam and continue going to work. Instead, Gary picked her up on July 29 and brought her 700 miles away to his Cabot, Arkansas, home.
He’d already been charged with child endangerment back in 2020 and was on probation. That’s why, months later, in December 2024, authorities in Arkansas performed a routine check-in at Gary’s residence and saw a young girl run out the back.
The police contacted Sophia’s parents, Stephen and Leah Franklin, alerting them of the teen’s whereabouts. She told authorities that Gary was aware of her age and their relationship had gotten physical after they made it to Arkansas on August 1, 2024, since “they knew it was illegal in Wisconsin and Illinois.”
She was subsequently brought back to Wisconsin, and an order of protection prohibited Sophia and Gary from speaking.
Nonetheless, beginning on January 26, 2025, Gary reportedly started sending Sophia numerous messages and threatening to hurt himself because they weren’t together. Sophia’s parents also caught her speaking to Gary online on January 31 and informed the police.
Soon after, the pair met up in person in early February, and a man resembling Gary was spotted walking past the Franklin residence on February 3 by home surveillance cameras. Sophia, who was three months pregnant, was reported missing from her home that same day.
Her father, Stephen, sent police the surveillance footage, which showed a man walking by their home just before 8:00 a.m. Additionally, Sophia’s sister saw a black 2014 Buick LaCrosse parked one block south at approximately 5:20 a.m.
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An AMBER alert was quickly issued within the state of Wisconsin. Community members were urged to look out for the vehicle, which had been spotted with two different license plates: Pennsylvania #KGW5186 and Arkansas #BBR20L.
The following day, February 4, Gary was charged with two counts of child enticement and two counts of child abduction.
The former child enticement charge is dated July 29, 2024, the first time Sophia was picked up by Gary and brought to his Arkansas home. The latter is dated February 3, 2025. He isn’t facing any charges for getting Sophia pregnant since the age of consent is 16 in Arkansas.
The AMBER alert, which is still in effect, was ultimately extended to Arkansas and Missouri by February 7. The last time Gary’s phone pinged was in Arkansas on February 9, but it’s been shut off and hasn’t pinged again.
On March 14, the Beaver Dam Police Department stated that Sophia “remains in imminent danger” and issued a renewed plea for help from the public. There have been reports of sightings in Arkansas and Missouri, but Sophia’s whereabouts are still unknown.
“Our AMBER alert continues to remain active. We continue to field tips on this case. Thank you to all who continue to share and spread this alert. It only takes one right tip to get her,” the Beaver Dam Police Department said.
Most recently, authorities detailed how Gary’s Buick is thought to be using an Arkansas license plate.
On a private Facebook account, Sophia’s parents shared how they don’t know what to do aside from “wait and pray,” calling the situation “a torment.”
“There is so much on the horizon for you, Sophia. Hard things, yet, but good things, too. And your family is here for all of it. We aren’t going anywhere. We just need you to come back,” they wrote.
Sophia is five foot nine, weighs about 186 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes. She was approximately three months pregnant at the time she went missing. Gary is five foot seven, about 165 pounds, and has blonde hair and green eyes.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Beaver Dam Police Department at (888) 304-3936 or dial 911.
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