AMBER Alert for 16yearold Sophia Franklin canceled; teen found safe, Gary Day in custody
Apr 03, 2025
A multi-state AMBER Alert for 16-year-old Sophia Franklin has been canceled after she was found safe, nearly nine weeks after going missing, according to the Beaver Dam Police Department.Police say 40-year-old Gary Day, the man
believed to have been traveling with her when the alert was issued, is in custody.Beaver Dam police shared an update Thursday morning, saying they were tipped off just before midnight on Wednesday, April 2, by Nebraska deputies about a possible sighting of Sophia.Law enforcement investigated, confirmed their identities, took Day into custody, and brought Sophia to a secure facility to await reunification with her family. Sophia was last seen at her family's Beaver Dam home on Feb. 2. The teen, who was three months pregnant at the time, was believed to be traveling with Day, the father of the unborn child.The AMBER Alert was issued in Wisconsin, and later expanded to Missouri, and Arkansas, where Day lives.Before the alert, authorities say Sophia spent more than four months with Day in Arkansas while her parents believed she had been staying with a friend in town and working. Leah Franklin, Sophia's mom, told TMJ4 News in a February interview that they first learned about Day when police in Arkansas contacted them. Day was on probation for child abuse at the time.Watch: Missing pregnant Beaver Dam teen found safe; man arrested Missing pregnant Beaver Dam teen found safe; man arrestedWe were in communication with her that entire time. She wasn't happy with us because we had tried to keep her safe, and she was really upset with us about that. We were trying to let her cool off," Franklin said. "We were trying to keep communication lines open with her so that she would come home." Sophia was brought back to Wisconsin. Franklin said that things seemed to be getting back on track with Sophia onboard."I do believe that she was brainwashed. I believe that she was groomed," Franklin stated in the February interview. Her mother, recalling the day she discovered Sophia was missing, said the teen wasnt feeling well.She told TMJ4 that the next day, she checked on Sophia and found she was gone, leaving the family with a haunting discoverysecurity footage from the familys doorbell showing 40-year-old Gary Day walking through their yard. Day is charged with child enticement and abduction, according to court records.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error ...read more read less