Beaver Dam Amber Alert; pregnant teen found safe, man in custody

BEAVER DAM, Wis. - An Amber Alert for Sophia Franklin, a pregnant teen from Beaver Dam, has been canceled. Police said Franklin was found safe nearly 500 miles from home on Wednesday – her 17th birthday.

Amber Alert issued

The backstory:

The Amber Alert was issued after Franklin was last seen at her home on Feb. 2. At the time, she was 16 years old and three months pregnant. Police said 40-year-old Gary Day, the suspect in the case, is the father of the unborn child.

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Investigators said Franklin and Day began talking online roughly a year ago. Since February, Amber Alerts were issued in Wisconsin, Arkansas and Missouri.

Charges filed

Dig deeper:

In February, Day was charged in Dodge County with two counts of child abduction and two counts of child enticement.

Court filings state Franklin's parents tried to restrict her internet access and prevent her from talking to strangers online, but she continued to gain access. 

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A criminal complaint states Franklin and Day began talking online in April 2024. Day came to Wisconsin, picked up Franklin and took her to Arkansas. She was thought to still be in the Beaver Dam area for months until police in Arkansas found her. She returned home last year.

Then, court filings state Franklin's parents came across a conversation in late January while using a computer. Investigators believe that conversation was between Franklin and Day, and there was a fight. 

There was also mention that Day was on probation in Arkansas for an abuse conviction, and said he stayed out past curfew and that his ankle monitor was flashing.

Tip leads to arrest

What they're saying:

The Beaver Dam police chief said this would not have been possible without the public's help. A tip is what ultimately led investigators to both Franklin and Day near Omaha, Nebraska.

Investigators said two truck drivers spotted Franklin and Day at a truck stop. The truck drivers told investigators that something felt off, so they started a conversation with Franklin. Then, they searched the internet and found her Amber Alert.

Day was arrested and booked into jail in less than one hour.

FOX6 News spoke to Lt. Dennis Svoboda of Sarpy County, Nebraska Sheriff's Office about how police there identified the two.

"They provided false information, some variety of names. Our people were running them through databases, couldn't find them. Then, ultimately, we have fingerprint machines," he said. "We fingerprinted Mr. Day and that identified him, and then all of his warrants appeared then, and that's how we positively identified him."

Mother responds

What they're saying:

Franklin's mother, Leah, said her husband is currently driving more than seven hours to Nebraska to get their daughter. She said neither of them have had a chance to talk to her yet, and it still does not feel real.

"He’s like, ‘They found her.’ And you just start shaking, you can’t believe this is really happening," she said. "It just took them noticing something was off in order to find my girl."

Leah said their next step is to get Franklin acclimated back home in Beaver Dam.

"We have a grandbaby coming, and we are wanting to prepare for that and look forward to brighter days ahead," she said.

It still has not sunk in that Franklin is returning home. Despite dwindling hope, she said she never lost faith.

"My hope was dwindling," she said. "They say there is a lot of evil out there, but there is also a terrific amount of good in people who care."

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