Missing Wisconsin teen found more than two months after disappearance

close Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for April 3

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.

A Wisconsin police department announced Thursday morning that a teenage girl who was missing for two months was located in Nebraska. 

Sophia Franklin,16, disappeared from the town of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, on Feb. 2, and was suspected to be traveling with a 40-year-old man named Gary Day, prompting an Amber Alert to locate her. 

An Amber Alert for Sophia Franklin issued by the Beaver Dam Police Department. (Beaver Dam Police Department)

TOURIST VANISHES AFTER LEAVING UTAH AIRPORT TO BACKPACK IN MOUNTAINS

According to the Beaver Dam Police Department, a tip originating in Sarpy County, Nebraska, led to Franklin’s discovery. 

“Law enforcement made contact with a juvenile, who was with an adult male also matching the description of the male suspect she was identified leaving with, Gary Day,” the department said. “Their identities were positively confirmed and as a result, the suspect, Gary Day, was taken into custody. Sophia Franklin was taken to a secure facility to await re-unification with her family.”

When she went missing, Franklin was three months pregnant with Day’s child, according to local reports. 

Gary Day mugshot. (Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office)

FAMILY ON LAS VEGAS, GRAND CANYON VACATION VANISHED ON ROAD TRIP, AUTHORITIES SAY

Before the Amber Alert was issued, Franklin reportedly spent four months in Arkansas with Day, while her parents thought she was staying with a friend. 

Her mother, Leah Franklin, told local news that the family was in communication with her daughter during the time that she spent in Arkansas. Day was on probation at the time.

The elder Franklin said Day brainwashed her child.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I do believe that she was brainwashed,” she said. “I believe that she was groomed.” 

Day was reportedly charged with child enticement and abduction. 

Peter D’Abrosca joined Fox News Digital in 2025 after four years as a politics reporter at The Tennessee Star. 

He grew up in Rhode Island and is a graduate of Elon University. 

Follow Peter on X at @pmd_reports. Send story tips to peter.dabrosca@fox.com.