Sophia Franklin is a 16 year old Wisconsin teen who has been missing since February 2, 2025. She was three months pregnant when she disappeared.
It is believed that Sophia left with Gary Day, who is a 40 year old man and is the father of her unborn baby.
An Amber Alert has been issued for the pair. Gary has been charged with two counts of child enticement and two counts of abduction of a child.
The situation between Gary and Sophia has been going on for a while now. The first charge of child abduction is actually from July/August 2024.
We aren’t going to get into personal detail about Sophia’s family, but from what we can see online, they are quite religious and conventional. They live in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
It is believed that Sophia met Gary online in April 2024. In July 2024, Sophia apparently hitchhiked to Arkansas where Gary picked her up. When they first started communicating, Gary told Sophia he was going through a divorce and custody battle, and that the mother of his children was abusive. Gary had actually been charged with child abuse and was on probation at that time.
In December 2024, Sophia’s parents made a call to authorities and said that as of July, she had not returned home. She was working at a local McDonald’s so she was not reported missing at that point as I guess the family thought she may be staying with friends and working? Her parents told authorities they had been in regular contact via phone with her. They also said that she has had ‘ongoing issues’ and that she had multiple phones to communicate with strangers that she met online.
Sophia ended up being found in Austin, Arkansas in December 2024. An Arkansas law enforcement agency got in touch with Sophia. She told the police that her parents thought she was staying with a friend. She told them that she would rather live with Gary than return home. Sophia also confirmed to police that Gary knew that she was 16 and that she was pregnant. She added the two of them had refrained from sexual activity until they got to Arkansas, as they “knew it was illegal in Wisconsin and Illinois,” the complaint states.
At some point after she spoke to police, Sophia returned back to Wisconsin. There is known email communication between her and Gary from New Year’s Eve 2024. Gary wrote “I guess we are not friends anymore” and “I want nothing to do with you.”
It seems that despite this apparent breakup, the two continued communicating. Court documents state that Sophia’s parents tried to restrict her internet and prevent her from talking to people online, but she continued to gain access. Sophia’s parents came across a conversation between the two from late January.
Sophia left with Gary on February 2 or 3, 2025. Fox News says that Sophia was last seen at her home on Sunday, February 2. A man matching Gary’s description was seen near Sophia’s house on Monday February 3.
A vehicle matching Gary’s vehicle description was seen parked one block south of Sophia’s home on Monday morning, the complaint added. The same vehicle was later seen on Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) cameras traveling southbound on Highway 151 near Sun Prairie around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, about 45 minutes after being captured on surveillance camera at the Franklin home.
On Monday, February 10, Sophia’s family released a new photo of her and a statement:
“There is so much on the horizon for you, Sophie. Hard things, yes, 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.
Your value isn’t found in how much money you make, how hard you work, or even the affirmation of others. Sophie, you are a soul made by God and fully known by God and entirely loved by God. You are a gift to us.
For all our family and friends: THANK YOU. Please don’t stop sharing. Sophie needs to be home. Please let law enforcement know if you think of anything that might be significant in getting her back.”
If convicted in this case, Gary faces a fine of up to a maximum of $100,000 and a maximum of 25 years of imprisonment.
This is information about previous charges against Gary from 2019.
An Independence County couple is in trouble with the law after authorities said a four-month-old baby was taken to a hospital with a fractured left femur.
Gary F. Day, 34, and Grace Catherine-Ann Day, 19, both of Batesville, were arrested on suspicion of endangering the welfare of a minor-1st degree after an investigation by the Independence County Sheriff’s Department.
A probable cause affidavit noted that the child was taken to a local hospital Sept. 15 for a lower extremity injury.
“From this visit, it was determined that the child was suffering from a fracture of the left femur. Along with this finding, the hospital noted bruising to the face of the child,” officials said in an affidavit. “White River Medical Center’s report also lists the child as being at a severe sepsis risk from injuries.”
According to the court records, the parents said the child’s leg became stuck in their kitchen sink while they gave the child a bath. The injury happened, they claimed, when they freed the child’s foot from the sink.
The child was then taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock to be treated.
A doctor there also told authorities more about the baby’s injuries, the affidavit noted.
The doctor said the child did suffer a fracture along with four separate injuries to the face and ears.
“Dr. Clingenpeel’s report provides that there was no plausible explanation given for the child’s injuries and lists the injuries as being consistent with blunt force trauma which is consistent with child physical abuse,” authorities said in the affidavit.
The doctor also confirmed to investigators that the child did not display an injury to the lower left foot or ankle, which would have been consistent with the parents’ initial story.
While inspecting the couple’s home, the sergeant noted the kitchen had a “common stainless steel sink with a fixed drain which would prevent a child’s foot from entering.”
A judge set a $50,000 bond for Gary F. Day and Grace Catherine-Ann Day Oct. 15.
SOURCE LIST
https://www.kait8.com/2019/10/18/baby-found-with-fractured-femur-couple-faces-charges