Sixteen-year-old Sophia Martin Franklin is still missing. She is 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighs 186 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes. Authorities believe she is traveling in a black 2014 Buick LaCrosse with Pennsylvania plate number KGW5186. The driver is 40-year-old Gary Day, the father of Franklin’s unborn child.
The summer before her junior year of high school, Franklin asked her parents if she could stay with her best friend’s family. The girls had been close for years and did everything together. Franklin argued that it would save time and gas and promised to check in frequently. Her parents eventually agreed, knowing how happy it would make her. She moved in late July and said she was having the time of her life.
Meanwhile, Day was four years into a six-year probation sentence and accustomed to surprise visits from his probation officer. In December, however, he seemed extremely nervous when the officer stopped by. The officer also saw a woman running out the back door. After chasing her down and questioning her, he learned she was just 16 years old and from Wisconsin. The teen admitted she had been with Day since August and that her family had no idea.
Authorities removed Franklin from Day’s home and took her for a medical examination while notifying her family. Her parents were shocked to learn their daughter had been three states away with a predator—and even more appalled to find out she was pregnant. Franklin was returned to Wisconsin as quickly as possible, and her parents took every step to protect her from Day and help her heal
Joining Nancy Grace today:
Additional Guest:
Dr. Stacy Vaughan – Vice President of Growth and Prevention at Childhelp; website: www.childhelp.org; Instagram and Facebook: @childhelp; YouTube: @Childhelporg
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.
[Feature Photos via Beaver Dam PD]
