Beaver Dam police announced that they found the missing pregnant teenager from Wisconsin and arrested the 40-year-old she was with, who is believed to be the father of the unborn child.
The Beaver Dam Police Department was notified around 11:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Apr. 2, 2025, that deputies near Omaha, Nebraska, received a tip regarding a potential sighting of the 16-year-old, identified as Sophia Franklin.
Missing Pregnant Wisconsin Teen Found Safe
Authorities were able to make contact with the teenage girl later, who was accompanied by the man, identified as Gary Day, who was arrested during that time. Officials transported the 16-year-old to a hospital and later to a secure facility to await being reunited with her family.
Police also confirmed that both Franklin and her unborn child are healthy and do not have any risk to their lives. The teenager was three months pregnant when her family reported her missing on Feb. 3, 2025. The last time she was seen was when she left her home the day before the report, based on security footage, according to WISN.
The family's report triggered an AMBER Alert, which officials later expanded to include Arkansas and Missouri. Officials said they believed Franklin was with Day, who was from Lonoke County, Arkansas.
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Investigations argued that the teenage girl had been communicating with the 40-year-old man online since around April last year. Prosecutors also initially believed that Day picked the teen girl up and took her to his home in central Arkansas.
Franklin's family shared the struggles of not knowing where the teenager was despite her 17th birthday passing by. The teen's mother they were living their life with the uncertainty of tomorrow of whether or not they could move forward in certain aspects, WMTV15 News reported.
AMBER Alerts in Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Department of Justice revealed that nearly half of the AMBER Alerts in the state have ended after someone called authorities to provide information. Since 2003, officials said there have been 65 AMBER Alerts in Wisconsin.
When officials made contact with Franklin and Day, they asked the two about their age difference, and they received inconsistent stories. The 40-year-old was later taken into custody by Sarpy County deputies and is facing charges of child abduction and child enticement.
Records showed that there were warrants out of Wisconsin and Arkansas for Day, and he is facing extradition to one of those states. Investigators also said that video captured the man outside the teenage girl's home earlier this year, as per KETV.
