An Arkansas man is facing felony charges for allegedly abducting a Wisconsin teen he impregnated, authorities said.
Gary Francis Day, 40, of Cabot, Arkansas, was charged Tuesday with two counts of child abduction and two counts of child enticement in connection to Sophia Franklin, 16, of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
The teen, who is three months pregnant, was last seen at her home late Sunday. Day, who is suspected of being the child's father, was last seen at the residence the following morning, according to an active Amber Alert issued in Wisconsin.
The teen's father told Beaver Dam police Sophia disappeared Sunday, sending investigators a home surveillance video clip that showed a man appearing to be Day walking near the family's residence at about 7:45 a.m., according to a criminal complaint obtained by Newsweek.
"The male is seen walking up the driveway and then running as he reached the rear of the house," police said. "He is seen looking around. The video clip then ends."
The teen's sister alerted cops after seeing a black Buick LaCrosse, which was later confirmed to be owned by Day, with its engine running one block away from the family's home. The vehicle was later spotted by Wisconsin Department of Transportation cameras traveling southbound on Highway 151 near Sun Prairie in Wisconsin at about 8:30 a.m., 45 minutes after Day was seen at the home, according to the criminal complaint.
Investigators said a license plate reader camera system last spotted the Buick LaCrosse, which is registered to Day's mother, in southeast Missouri at about 10 p.m. Sunday.
"At this point, we have no idea where's she at," Beaver Dam Police Chief John Krueziger told Newsweek early Friday. "We're getting tips from different areas of the country, so we're really not sure."
Krueziger declined to say where investigators believe the pair could be as of Friday, citing a lack of "concrete evidence" in the ongoing investigation.
Police previously said Day and the teen, whom have a no-contact order, were no longer believed to be in Beaver Dam. Investigators have learned Day is now using various license plates on his vehicle, including a Pennsylvania tag of KGW5186.
The teen previously told police in December she met Day in April 2024, initiating contact with him online. He then told her he was going through a divorce and a custody battle, according to the complaint.
"[Sophia] described stories that Gary Day would tell her about injuries to his boys while they were in the custody of their mother but they were currently in the custody of his mother," the complaint states.
The teen initially told police she had hitchhiked to Arkansas in August 2024, with Day picking her up once she arrived. She then lived at Day's home as he worked for an insurance company and did property inspections, according to the complaint.
The teen denied being sexually active, but said she and Day had planned to get married. She also admitted that Day drove to Wisconsin to pick her up.
"I just don't want him to get in trouble and get the idea that he was pressuring me when I actually pursued him," she told investigators, according to the complaint.
The teen said Day picked her up in late July and arrived at his home on August 1. Day was living in Austin, Arkansas, she told investigators.
"[The teen] stated that she paid for the gas and hotels for him to come get her because she wanted to leave Beaver Dam and Wisconsin," the complaint reads.
Sophia told cops in Arkansas she had joked about her age with Day, but was reluctant to provide clear answers on whether he knew she was a minor. She later said Day "did know I was 16" and that he was aware of that "from the get go," according to the complaint.
The teen also cops the pair had been sexually active "when he got here" and that she and Day waited until they arrived in Arkansas because they knew it was illegal in Wisconsin and Illinois, the complaint states.
Sophia's father told investigators she was pregnant with Day's child, investigators said.
Day has been previously charged with child abuse in Arkansas and was on probation for that incident, the complaint adds.
A spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Corrections confirmed to Newsweek Friday that Day remains on probation in the state. The agency could not provide additional details, citing confidential offender information, he said.
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