Missing Teen Girl Found Months Later with Balding Middle-Aged Man, Dad Says She Was 'Brainwashed'
A pregnant Wisconsin teen was found in Nebraska on Wednesday after being missing since Feb. 3.
Sophia Franklin, 16, of Beaver Dam, was found near Omaha, Nebraska, with Gary Day, 40, who is the father of her preborn child.
He now faces abduction charges in the incident, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Beaver Dam Police Chief John Kreuziger said a female trucker met Day and Franklin at a truck stop with another trucker and grew suspicious of them.
The woman found out Franklin was listed as missing and contacted police, who responded to detain Day, a native of Arkansas.
Even before he was arrested, Day was charged with two counts of child abduction and two counts of child enticement in Wisconsin. He is also on probation for endangering a child in Arkansas.
NEW MUG SHOT OF GARY DAY @wmtv15news Beaver Dam teenager Sophia Franklin was found safe Wednesday near Omaha, Nebraska after authorities were tipped off about a possible sighting of the two. pic.twitter.com/IVTbViVg13
— phoebemurraytv (@phoebemurrayTV) April 3, 2025
Day met Franklin online last April and later brought the girl to his Arkansas home.
In December, a probation check discovered that Franklin was living with Day, which led to her returning to Wisconsin. Although day was legally barred from contacting the teen, they continued to communicate until Day was seen approaching Franklin’s house in February.
Leah Franklin said her daughter was a victim, according to Fox News.
“I do believe that she was brainwashed,” she said. “I believe that she was groomed.”
Franklin said that when police told her they had found her daughter, “I was shaking. Then I was in a panic. It was her,” according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Leah Franklin said in the world of online predators, changes are needed.
“We are the first parenting generation to deal with this,” she said. “We are the guinea pigs, and something needs to change.”
Stephen Franklin noted that his daughter is barred from buying cigarettes or alcohol while she is under 18, but can go online using her phone while being underage.
“We have an epidemic on our hands,” Leah Franklin added. “We are keeping these laws the same, even though times have changed. After a situation like this, we can’t just sit here and do nothing about it.”
“My daughter could go out and buy a phone whenever she wanted,” Leah said. “Once they have a phone, the entire world is at their fingertips. Predators have access to you.”
“None of my kids have one now. We quickly realized it wasn’t a good idea to have them, period,” she said.
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