“Something just felt off”: Nebraska tip leads to missing Beaver Dam teen Sophia Franklin; Gary Day arrested

BEAVER DAM, Wis. (WBAY) - A woman who called 911 to report a possible sighting of a missing Beaver Dam teenager met Sophia Franklin at a truck stop.

As we first alerted you early Thursday morning, the missing, pregnant teen from Beaver Dam was found safe late Wednesday night, canceling an Amber Alert after two months.

The Beaver Dam police chief tells Action 2 News the woman struck up a conversation with Sophia and “something just felt off,” he said. She did a Google search and found a picture of Sophia and the man she was with, Gary Day, and called 911.

Day and Sophia had ditched the car that was including in a multi-state Amber Alert, Police Chief Joe Kreuziger said. Sarpy County deputies found them near Omaha, Nebraska, riding in a semi with another man.

Once deputies confirmed their identities, Day was taken into custody.

Beaver Dam police were notified by the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office at 11:40 p.m.

“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,” it said in a statement.

Chief Kreuziger told Action 2 News Sophia was taken to a hospital, and she and the fetus are both healthy. She was taken to a secure facility until she can be reunited with her family.

Our sister station, WISN, went to the family’s home and learned Sophia’s father, Stephen Franklin, left for Nebraska Thursday morning.

In an email to our Action 2 News reporter Samantha Cavalli, Sophia’s mother, Leah, said Stephen and her brother are on their way right now to pick Sophia up from Nebraska. Leah said Sophia will be home in Wisconsin by Friday.

Action 2 News just spoke with Sophia’s parents Wednesday on her 17th birthday. They pleaded for her to come home -- just hours before she was found.

“If Sophia were to watch this, we just want her to know that we love her and we’ll do whatever it takes,” father Stephen Franklin said.

“It’s just, it’s just living your life every day still uncertain as to what tomorrow is going to hold and whether or not you can move forward in certain aspects of your life or if you should just stay here and wait,” mother Leah Franklin said.

Of course we’ll continue to bring you updates on Sophia’s reunification with her family.

Amber Alerts have been canceled in Wisconsin, Arkansas and Missouri, where they were issued since Sophia was reported missing by her family back on February 3.

Day, 40, is believed to be the father of Sophia’s unborn child. She is 5 months pregnant.

He’s being held in the Sarpy County Jail on five charges: Contributing to delinquency of a child, false reporting, and 3 counts of being a fugitive from justice/prior government warrant.

Day has a criminal record in Arkansas, and an arrest warrant for him was issued out of Dodge County here in Wisconsin in February. Four felony counts of child enticement and abduction were filed in our state.

As for Day, we’re following online court records right now. Chief Kreuziger expects Day will face judges in Nebraska, Arkansas and Wisconsin.

Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office in Arkansas said it has placed an extradition hold on Day for a No Bond Felony Failure to Appear Warrant tied to a Class C Felony - Interference with Child Custody in Lonoke County.

Court documents say Sophia and Day interacted in the past. They say the two were chatting online back in April of 2024. By late July, Day picked up Sophia and by August 1, the two were in Arkansas for multiple months.

As we previously reported, Day has an extensive criminal history. In 2019, he was charged with Endangering The Welfare of a Minor-1st Degree after it was reported his 4-month-old son broke his femur in Independence County. Doctors noticed more bruising and fractures consistent with blunt force trauma.

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