AMBER Alert update: Wisconsin police believe suspect using multiple license plates
Police believe a suspect involved in the abduction of a pregnant 16-year-old girl has been using multiple license plates, with both suspect and victim still missing as of Wednesday morning.
The Beaver Dam Police Department issued an AMBER Alert on Monday after Sophia Martha Franklin was abducted by 40-year-old Gary F. Day., with the pair traveling in a black 2014 Buick LaCrosse.
The Buick originally had an Arkansas license plate number BBR 20L, but a more recent update by the department said the vehicle was seen Monday morning with a Pennsylvania license plate number KGW 5186.
The Dodge County District Attorney's Office filed four felony charges against Day on Tuesday, with two being abduction of a child and the other two being child enticement-causing mental/bodily harm.
It's been reported that Franklin's kidnapper is the father of her unborn child.
The alert from state authorities says Franklin, who is three months pregnant, was last seen at her Beaver Dam home at 9 p.m. on Sunday. Day was seen at the home at around 7:50 a.m. on Monday, and Franklin is said to have left with him.
Police say there is a "no contact order" in place between Day and Franklin, and the pair are no longer believed to be in Beaver Dam.
Franklin is 5'9" tall, weighing 186 lbs., with brown hair and blue eyes. Day is 5'7" tall, weighing 165 lbs., with blonde hair and green eyes.
Spectrum News reports Day has a long criminal history, pleading guilty in 2020 to endangering the welfare of a minor that saw a four-month-old left with a fractured left femur and bruising on the face.
He was also charged in 2023 for 2nd-degree domestic battery but the case was dropped in early 2024, with prosecutors citing not enough evidence that Day caused injuries to a four-year-old child.
According to court filings, Day was arrested on Dec. 10, 2024 in Lonoke County, Arkansas on charges of interfering with custody and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He is scheduled for a court appearance in that case on Feb. 24 for an arraignment.
Anyone with information should call the Beaver Dam Police Department at 920-887-4612 or the Amber Alert tip line at 888-304-3936.
Beaver Dam is a city of around 16,500 people in Dodge County in southeastern Wisconsin.
Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement's latest version of events, and may be subject to change.
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