Beaver Dam mother pleads for pregnant teen to return home, Amber Alert remains active

BEAVER DAM, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A Beaver Dam mother is pleading with her teenage daughter to come home. The 16-year-old is thought to be with the father of her unborn baby, a 40-year-old man with a criminal past.

Sophia Franklin's mom tells us the 16-year-old had no fear when it came to meeting strangers online. So, they did what parents do, but the tighter their technology restrictions, the more Sophia fought back. Now, all they want is for their daughter to come home.

"And she is our child. You had no right to take her," said Leah Franklin, mom of missing Beaver Dam teen Sophia Franklin.

Strong words spoken by a broken-hearted mother to the man who is believed to have her daughter.

"It's a different world. It just is," said Leah Franklin.

This is Gary Day, a man with a troubled past.

Father of two boys, he's on probation in Arkansas for child abuse. Last April, Sophia, a spunky teen who loves sports, music and makeup met Day, and their online relationship grew.

"We were being diligent. We had, you know, software in place and safety procedures. The more we had to do that, obviously, the angrier she got with that, but it was all to protect her," said Leah Franklin.

Last summer, Sophia didn't return home. Mom called the police. Police checked the McDonalds where she worked, and they found her.

"And so, we couldn't file a missing person's report because we knew where she was," said Leah Franklin.

Weeks went by, then months. Sophie told her parents she was staying with a friend. They gave her space but messaged her regularly.

"We would ask her questions like 'hey you want to come for a bonfire? Hey, do you want to do this?' And the answer was always 'no, I'm working,'" said Leah Franklin.

Leah believed her daughter was close by the Beaver Dam area. Then, a bomb shell. In December, a probationary officer in Arkansas checking up on Day found the 16-year-old Sophia living with him.

"It was just sheer panic like I've never felt before," said Leah Franklin.

Sophia returned home in time for the holidays, revealing she's pregnant.

"My 10-year-old had prayed that Sophie would be home for Christmas, and she was, so it was sweet," said Leah Franklin.

But weeks later, Sophie's dad found disturbing messages between the two. Court documents show Day referencing "suicide," then saying, "no one will care" and Sophie replying, "I'll care and so will our daughter." 

Two days later, that's Gary Day outside the family's home.

 He and Sophie haven't been seen since. This is the car they could be in.

Now, mom's hoping Sophia will see this message to her.

"There's so many people who are here to support you who want to help with everything, and I mean everything and it's ok, it's gonna be okay, we're gonna make sure it's okay," said Leah Franklin.

An Amber Alert remains in effect for Sophie Franklin. Here is a flyer if you'd like to help post it and help this family bring their daughter home.