Latest news with #SarpyCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Wisconsin AMBER Alert update: Pregnant teen found safe, suspect arrested in Nebraska
Police in Wisconsin say a pregnant 16-year-old girl who was abducted in early February has been found safe and the suspect has been arrested. In an update on Thursday, the Beaver Dam Police Department said the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office received a tip of a possible sighting of Sophia Franklin, who had been reported abducted in an Amber Alert issued on Feb. 3., on Wednesday at about 11:40 p.m. near Omaha, Nebraska. Deputies made contact with Franklin, who was with a man identified as 40-year-old Gary Day. Authorities suspect Day, of Arkansas, is responsible for Franklin's abduction and is also the father of her unborn child. Day was taken into custody and Franklin was taken to a secure facility to await re-unification with her family. "The Beaver Dam Police Department would like to thank the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office, as well as the numerous other law enforcement agencies that put forth the time and effort to locate Sophia. We would also like to thank the community members in multiple states for their awareness and willingness to share leads to follow to help bring Sophia safely home," the Beaver Dam Police Department said. The Dodge County District Attorney's Office has filed four felony charges against Day, with two being abduction of a child and the other two being child enticement-causing mental/bodily harm. Police have previously said there was a "no contact order" in place between Day and Franklin.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Wisconsin teen found safe; man arrested, due in court on Friday
The Brief Gary Day, 40, is scheduled to appear in court on Friday. He was arrested in Nebraska two nights ago. Prosecutors accuse home of abducting a 17-year-old girl from Beaver Dam. Nearly 500 miles from Beaver Dam, the "see something, say something" mantra ended the search for the missing teen. MILWAUKEE - Gary Day, 40, is scheduled to appear in court in Nebraska on Friday, April 4. Prosecutors accuse him of abducting a teenage girl from Beaver Dam. The teen was found on Wednesday – her 17th birthday – near Omaha, Nebraska. Editor's note: In past stories, FOX6 News named the missing teenager and showed her picture because there was an Amber Alert. Police and the public were trying to find her and bring her to safety. Now, she's been found and identified as a crime victim. At this point, FOX6 will no longer use her name and photo to protect her privacy. The backstory An Amber Alert was issued in Wisconsin after the teenage girl was last seen at her home on Feb. 2. At the time, she was 16 years old and three months pregnant. Amber Alerts were later issued in Arkansas and Missouri. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News The teen was found in Nebraska. She was with 40-year-old Gary Day, who is now in custody. Police said he is the father of the unborn child, and the two began talking online roughly a year ago. What we know Nearly 500 miles from Beaver Dam, the "see something, say something" mantra ended the search for the missing teen. "They observed an adult male and juvenile female, and they just thought it was suspicious – that maybe they just didn't go together," said Lt. Dennis Svoboda with the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office. After talking with the teen, a 911 caller went online and saw an Amber Alert for her, along with a photo of the man investigators said she was with. Dig deeper Police said Day was seen on surveillance near the teen's home in February. His booking photo looks a lot different from the photos shared in police social media posts and prior Amber Alerts. "He definitely was trying to elude investigation and subsequent arrest, which makes him even more problematic," said Stan Stojkovic, professor emeritus of criminology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android Day also changed license plates on the car he was driving, and Svoboda said the two may have hitchhiked around the country. That's partially why Stojkovic gave kudos to all involved law enforcement agencies. What's next Day remains in custody in the Sarpa County Jail, where he faces misdemeanor charges. He has outstanding child abuse charges in Arkansas against a different child, on top of felony charges in Wisconsin tied to Franklin. The Source FOX6 News interviews Lt. Dennis Svoboda with the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office and Stan Stojkovic, professor emeritus of criminology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Information from prior coverage of the case was also referenced.
CBS News
03-04-2025
- CBS News
Pregnant Wisconsin teen Sophia Franklin, missing since February, found in Nebraska; father of unborn child in custody
A nationwide Amber Alert was canceled on Thursday, after a 16-year-old pregnant girl from Wisconsin who has been missing for two months was found in Nebraska. Sophia Martha Franklin had been reported missing on Feb. 3, after she was last seen at her home in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, about 60 miles northwest of Milwaukee. Police announced Thursday morning that she had been found near Omaha, Nebraska, late Wednesday night. Sarpy County Sheriff's deputies located her late Wednesday night after receiving a tip about a possible sighting. She was found with a man believed to be 40-year-old Gary Day, who police believed was traveling with her since she was missing. After confirming both of their identities, Day was arrested and Sophia was taken to a secure facility to be reunited with her family. Police have said Day, the father of Sophia's unborn child, is on probation in Arkansas on felony domestic battery charges, and was the subject of a "no-contact" order. "The Beaver Dam Police Department would like to thank the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office, as well as the numerous other law enforcement agencies that put forth the time and effort to locate Sophia. We would also like to thank the community members in multiple states for their awareness and willingness to share leads to follow to help bring Sophia safely home," police said.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Wisconsin teenager found safe after two-month disappearance
BEAVER DAM, Wis. (WTVO) — A 16-year-old girl from Wisconsin has been found safe after going missing for two months, authorities said Wednesday. According to the Illinois State Police, Sofia Franklin was last seen in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin at 7:48 a.m. on Monday, February 3rd. Police say she was taken by the father of her unborn child, Gary Day, 40, of Arkansas, thought to be traveling in a black 2014 Buick LaCrosse. Her family said the pair met online last April. Day reportedly took her to Arkansas without her parent's knowledge in July. She was returned to Wisconsin after Arkansas police visited Day's house for a probation check and found the teenager inside. An AMBER Alert was expanded to Wisconsin, Illinois, Arkansas, and Missouri. On Wednesday, authorities received a tip of a possible sighting of Franklin and Day in Omaha, Nebraska. Deputies with the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office were able to take Day into custody and move Franklin to a secure facility to await re-unification with her family. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Wisconsin pregnant teen missing for 2 months found in Nebraska, man in custody
*The above video is from February 2025* OMAHA, Neb. (WFRV) – Sophia Franklin, a pregnant teenager from central Wisconsin who was reported missing two months ago, was found safe in Nebraska late Wednesday night, and officers say the 40-year-old man she was reportedly with was taken into custody. According to the Beaver Dam Police Department, officers were contacted by the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office in Nebraska around 11:40 p.m. on April 2. Driver accused of intentionally causing fatal motorcycle crash in Fond du Lac Authorities in Nebraska told Wisconsin officers they got a tip about someone seeing Sophia near Omaha, Nebraska. After law enforcement contacted the girl and the man she was with, who matched the descriptions provided in the AMBER Alert, Sophia was safely moved to a secure facility, and the man, Gary Day, was taken into custody. Day is reportedly the father of the child. Firefighters rescue cat from basement fire in Kaukauna The Beaver Dam Police Department would like to thank the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office, as well as the numerous other law enforcement agencies that put forth the time and effort to locate Sophia. We would also like to thank the community members in multiple states for their awareness and willingness to share leads to follow to help bring Sophia safely home. Beaver Dam Police Department Sophia was 16 years old at the time she went missing. Day was 40. Over the course of the two months, three states issued an AMBER Alert for Franklin and Day: Arkansas, Missouri, and Wisconsin. No additional information was provided. The AMBER Alert has been canceled. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
