Sophia Martha Franklin (left); Gary F. Day (right). Photo::max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/Sophia-Martha-Franklin-Gary-F.-Day-020525-3d3d676fcd384a45b27023b403e59ac5.jpg)
AMBER Alert Wisconsin
An Amber Alert has been issued for a pregnant Wisconsin teenager who is believed to be with a 40-year-old man who is suspected of being her child’s father.
Sophia Martha Franklin, 16, was last seen at her home at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 2, in Beaver Dam, Wis., according to the Beaver Dam Police Department. She is “believed” to be with Gary F. Day, 40, who was seen at Sophia’s home on Monday, Feb. 3 at 7:48 p.m., according to authorities.
Sophia is three months pregnant. She is described as White, standing 5 feet, 9 inches and weighs 186 lbs. She has brown hair and blue eyes. There is a no-contact order for Day and Sophia, according to the Amber Alert.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(493x0:495x2):format(webp)/Sophia-Martha-Franklin-020525-8cbc886f5fbf4ee6a8a6443f1a56e1e1.jpg)
Sophia Martha Franklin. AMBER Alert Wisconsin
Day is described as White, standing 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 165 lbs. He has blonde hair and green eyes. “Gary is known to be the father of the unborn child with Sophia,” the alert reads.
Sophia and Day are believed to be traveling in a Black Buick LaCrosse. After Beaver Dam police took the report of a missing juvenile on Monday, Feb. 3, police said the car had an Arkansas license plate with the number BBR 20L. However, in an update on Feb. 3, police said the vehicle was seen that morning in Wisconsin with a Pennsylvania license plate of KGW5186.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(499x0:501x2):format(webp)/Gary-F.-Day-020525-6ef0ff2435974c12b3ba92ad941b1bbb.jpg)
According to online court records viewed by PEOPLE, Day has been charged with two counts of child abduction and two counts of child enticement-causing mental/bodily/harm. All four charges are felonies. An arrest warrant was also issued on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
Sophia and Day began talking online in April 2024, according to court filings obtained by FOX6 News. Day traveled to Wisconsin to take Sophia to Arkansas. Although it was thought she was still in Beaver Dam, police found her in Arkansas. She returned to Wisconsin last year, but Sophia’s parents found a conversation online from late January. Investigators believe Sophia and Day were talking, per the complaint.
Gary F. Day. AMBER Alert Wisconsin
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The Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office in Arkansas has “reason to believe” Day and Sophia are heading to the area of Austin, Ark., they said on Facebook. Day has ties to Austin, and police said he was on probation and under investigation for crimes against children, according to a criminal complaint, per TMJ4.
“We have been getting a lot of tips, and we’re following up on those tips,” Beaver Dam Police Chief John Kreuziger told FOX6 News. “We thank the public for their help with the tips, and continue to report those tips to us, and then we’ll follow up on those tips. And the goal, at the end, is to bring her home.”
PEOPLE reached out to Kreuzigner but has not immediately heard back.
Anyone with information should call the Beaver Dam Police Department at 920-887-4612 or the Amber Alert tip line at 888-304-3936.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
