Arkansas

Arkansas man charged with 4 felonies involving still-missing Beaver Dam teen taken from her home

Published

1 year ago

February 5, 2025

Arkansas man charged with 4 felonies involving still-missing Beaver Dam teen taken from her home

A 40-year-old Arkansas man is facing four felony charges in a case involving 16-year-old Sophia Franklin from Beaver Dam who is the subject of an active Amber Alert.

Gary F. Day of Cabot, Arkansas, was charged Tuesday with two counts of child abduction and two counts of child enticement.

The teen is three months pregnant and Day is the father, according to the Amber Alert and criminal complaint.

“Right now, we don’t know where they are,” Beaver Dam Police Chief John Kreuziger told the Journal Sentinel on Wednesday. “We are getting tips from all over the place. Our goal is to get her back as quickly as we can and as safely as we can.”

Sophia is described by police as a white female, 5 feet, 9 inches tall, and weighing roughly 186 pounds. She has brown hair and blue eyes.

Day is described by police as a white male, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, and weighing roughly 165 pounds. He has blonde hair and green eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to call 888-304-3936 or 911.

The complaint says that Sophia met Day online and developed a relationship with him. The two were aware of consent laws in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Arkansas.

The teen and her parents had a strained relationship; Day had earlier taken Sophie to Arkansas without her parents’ knowledge. When she returned to Wisconsin, Day sent the teen several messages beginning Jan. 26 threatening to harm himself because they were separated.

Days later an Amber Alert was issued for Sophia.

Kreuziger said his department is working with the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation and the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Department in Arkansas.

According to the criminal complaint, Sophia’s father alerted the Beaver Dam Police Department of his daughter’s disappearance on Sunday by emailing a detective a home surveillance video that showed “a male appearing to be Gary Day” walking toward the family’s house at 7:48 a.m. Sunday.

An Amber Alert was issued Monday after Sophia’s sister reported seeing a black Buick LaCrosse, later confirmed to belong to Day, parked with its engine running a block from the family’s home.

Day had previously taken Sophia out of state

This is the second time Day has driven to Wisconsin and taken Sophia from her home.

Day and Sophia met online in April 2024, and he drove to Wisconsin to take her to Arkansas in July, according to the criminal complaint.

Sophia’s parents first learned she was living with Day in Arkansas on Dec. 10, when officers with the Austin Police Department went to Day’s home. He was on probation and parole and was being investigated for crimes against children, according to the complaint.

Sophia’s parents told officers she had not returned home one night “back in July.” They contacted the Beaver Dam Police Department to discuss the situation, then decided against listing her as missing “because she was still around Beaver Dam” and working at McDonald’s.

Her parents said they stayed in “constant contact with her” but never saw her and “were under the impression” she was staying in Beaver Dam “with a friend.”

When officers showed up at Day’s house Dec. 10, Sophia explained that Day “came and got me” from Wisconsin on July 29. She said they arrived at his Arkansas home on Aug. 1. The two had met online in April, according to the complaint.

Sophia told officers the two made their way back to Arkansas after spending a night at a Madison hotel and eating at Culver’s, then spending the next night at a hotel in Bloomington, Illinois, according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, Sophia said Day knew “from the get-go” she was 16.

Sophia told the officers she had been living with Day since August and he was providing her “food, shelter and clothing” and that they planned to get married. She initially denied they were sexually active, according to the complaint.

When further questioned by officers, Sophia said they were sexually active, adding “I just don’t want him to get in trouble.”

The complaint states Sophia and Day waited until they were in Arkansas to be sexually active because “they knew it was illegal in Wisconsin and Illinois.” In Wisconsin, it’s illegal for an adult to engage in sexual activity with a minor.

Sophia was returned to her parent’s Beaver Dam home in December. Sophia’s parents were “shocked” to learn she was living in Arkansas, according to the complaint. Her mother told officers Sophia told her she had “hitchhiked her way to Arkansas.” She believed Sophia was “in a position where she would be defending” the man she was spending time with, the complaint says.

On Feb. 1, two days prior to the Amber Alert being issued, Sophia’s father contacted Beaver Dam police, informing them she was “doing well at home.”

He also informed them of a Google account he and Sophia’s mother had discovered the previous evening. They did not mention it to Sophia but gave their permission for the police department to review the account.

A Beaver Dam detective determined Sophia was communicating through an email account later determined to belong to Day.

According to the complaint, Day told Sophia through several messages that “I want nothing to do with you,” “Suicide, you win, goodbye,” and “no one will care.”

Sophia responds with, “I’ll care and so will our daughter.” She then tells Day she has named the unborn child Ava.

“I know how much you wanted a girl and I know how much you care for your children,” Sophia emailed to Day, according to the complaint.

“Tell her I’m dead,” was Day’s response.

The last message included in the complaint states: “I stayed out past curfew. Probation. And I didn’t notice. I’m done.”

Police said Sophia and Day are likely traveling in a 2014 black Buick LaCrosse. Chief Kreuziger stressed they are swapping out license plates. The vehicle was last seen using a Pennsylvania license plate number KGW518 on Monday morning in Wisconsin.

Jessica Van Egeren is a general assignment reporter and assistant breaking news editor with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at jvanegeren@gannett.com.

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Arkansas

Tulsa WWII veteran laid to rest 77 years after disappearing in Arkansas River

Published

4 hours ago

April 28, 2026

Press Room

Tulsa WWII veteran laid to rest 77 years after disappearing in Arkansas River

SKIATOOK, Okla. –

A World War II veteran who worked for the City of Tulsa was finally laid to rest Monday after his remains went unidentified for nearly 80 years.

Floyd Harper, 22, was one of several City of Tulsa workers killed when a city barge overturned on the Arkansas River on Feb. 10, 1949. His remains were not identified at the time, and his family spent decades without answers.

His daughter, Linda Schrader, never got the chance to know him. She was two months old when he died.

“He died in the Arkansas River when I was exactly two months old,” Schrader said. “So I knew absolutely nothing about any of this wonderful stuff.”

Harper’s wife and family were left guessing what happened to him. According to Schrader, her mother never stopped looking.

“They said that she used to walk the banks of the Arkansas River for years, trying to find something of him where he died,” Schrader said.

Eventually, Schrader’s mother remarried, and the family began to accept they’d never get a chance to say goodbye. That changed last summer.

Tulsa Police Homicide Detective Brandon Watkins looked into human remains the department had discovered along the river in 1985. Using genealogy research, he tracked down Schrader, who now lives in Boise, Idaho. He flew out himself to administer a DNA test.

It was a match.

“We wanted to know who those human remains belong to. That’s important,” Watkins said. “Families deserve to have this moment.”

For Schrader, the confirmation set off a whirlwind. She discovered she had 29 first cousins she never knew, and attended a family reunion.

“I was just blown away with finding out I had 29 first cousins. And all of this going on. It’s just — it’s been insane,” she said.

For Watkins, solving the case stands as a career milestone.

“It’s one of the most rewarding things I think I’ve done in my career, is be part of this,” he said. “And I’m real happy for his family.”

Monday, after a gun salute and 77 years of wondering, Harper was finally laid to rest alongside other family members. Schrader said she’s grateful she can spend the rest of her life knowing how her father’s story ends.

“I’m just so happy he gets to be with his momma now,” she said.

Timeline: Floyd Harper’s 77-year journey home

Feb. 10, 1949 — Floyd Harper, a WWII veteran and City of Tulsa worker, dies when a city barge overturns on the Arkansas River. He is 22 years old. His daughter Linda is two months old.

1949–1985 — Harper’s family, including his wife, searches for answers. His remains are never found. Linda’s mother remarries; the family moves.

1985 — Human remains are discovered along the Arkansas River. Tulsa Police preserve them but are unable to make an identification at the time.

Summer 2025 — TPD Homicide Detective Brandon Watkins reopens the case, conducts genealogy research, and locates Linda Schrader in Idaho. He flies out personally to collect a DNA sample.

Mid-2025 — DNA results confirm the remains belong to Floyd Harper.

April 27, 2026 — Floyd Harper is laid to rest alongside family members in Skiatook, 77 years after his death. An honor guard renders a gun salute.

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Arkansas

Herron and Johnson Selected to AUSL Reserve Pool

Published

16 hours ago

April 27, 2026

Press Room

Herron and Johnson Selected to AUSL Reserve Pool

Hunter Corneliusen
April 27, 2026

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.– Arkansas senior LHP Robyn Herron and senior OF Reagan Johnson were selected as provisional picks in the 2026 AUSL College Draft and have been named to the league’s reserve athlete pool, the organization announced Sunday evening.

AUSL provisional picks in the 2026 College Draft were selected to allow teams to secure the draft picks’ rights and give teams added flexibility. The AUSL Reserve Pool is an opportunity for players to potentially be called up, compete, and earn full-time roster spots. For example, Reserve Pool athletes will be utilized at the start of the season when select AUSL players compete overseas in the Japan Diamond League.

Herron is among the all-time Arkansas greats in the circle with 111 career appearances, 73 starts, 52 wins and a 2.18 ERA while registering 554 strikeouts and limiting opposing hitters to a program-record .180 batting average. She has also registered 16 10+ strikeout games in her Arkansas career, which is tied for Mary Haff (2018-2022) as the most in program history. This season, Herron is 14-4 with a 1.99 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 91.1 innings pitched. She currently ranks among the top pitchers nationally in fewest hits allowed per seven innings (14th, 4.45), saves (15th, 4), and strikeouts per seven innings (5th, 11.0).

Johnson is the all-time Arkansas career hits leader with 272, while her 68 career stolen bases are the third-most in program history. She has posted a .331 batting average this season with 48 hits, four doubles, a triple, and 14 RBI while drawing 27 walks, scoring 50 runs, and stealing 18 bases. Defensively, Johnson is among the best center fielders the game has seen during her four years on The Hill with a .988 career fielding percentage. She is on a 122-game errorless streak dating back to April 6, 2024, which is the longest errorless streak by an Arkansas outfielder on record (since at least 2001).

In addition to Herron and Johnson’s provisional selections, Dakota Kennedy previously received an AUSL Golden Ticket on April 6. The 2026 AUSL College Draft is set for Monday, May 4, at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

No. 6/9 Arkansas (39-9, 13-8 SEC) will wrap up the regular season with a three-game series at Texas (April 30-May 2). Thursday’s contest will be at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network, while Friday and Saturday’s first pitch times are set for 2 p.m. and noon on SEC Network+.

For schedule updates and other news, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, or follow @RazorbackSB on X, Instagram and Facebook.

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Arkansas

Arkansas State rallies for 8-3 win over Louisiana Baseball

Published

1 day ago

April 27, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas State rallies for 8-3 win over Louisiana Baseball

JONESBORO, Ark. (KLFY)– Home runs by Cason Campbell and Evan Griffis highlighted a seven-run outburst through the middle three innings and helped Arkansas State rally for an 8-3 victory
over Louisiana in the final game of a three-game Sun Belt Conference series on Sunday at
Slayton Family Field at Tomlinson Stadium.

Dylan Farley (7-1) scattered three hits over 5.1 innings and combined with two relievers to help
A-State (26-17, 10-11 SBC) avoid a three-game sweep at home.

Louisiana (25-18, 9-12 SBC) trailed 1-0 after the Red Wolves scored an unearned run in the first
inning before Mark Collins lined a two-run homer down the left-field line in the third. The
Ragin’ Cajuns added an unearned run in the fourth, capitalizing on the Red Wolves’ second
error of the inning and third of the game.

Drew Markle lined a two-out single to right field and scored when Collins hit a dribbler just past
the plate, and an A-State throw sailed past Campbell at first and into right field.
Arkansas State, which scored two runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the sixth, tied
the game at 3-3 in the bottom half of the inning as Lane Walton hit an RBI single to right before
Patrick Engskov scored on a fielder’s choice.

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The Red Wolves took the lead for good when Ashton Quiller’s RBI grounder to second scored
Kaden Amundson before Campbell followed two pitches later with a two-run homer to center.
Griffis added a two-run homer in the sixth for the Red Wolves to cap the seven-run rally.
JR Tollett (4-3) took the loss in relief for Louisiana after surrendering four runs in 1.2 innings.

Ty Roman tossed 3.1 innings in a starting role for the Ragin’ Cajuns while freshman Hayden
Pearson tossed a season-high 3.0 innings with a pair of strikeouts.
Collins and Markle combined for four of Louisiana’s six hits in the game. Rigoberto Hernandez
added a third-inning double for Louisiana before Griffin Hebert reached on a pinch-hit single in
the ninth.

Louisiana will open a six-game homestand beginning on Tuesday when it hosts in-state
opponent Southern University in a 6 p.m. contest at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park.
The Ragin’ Cajuns will host another in-state foe – Nicholls – on Wednesday at 6 p.m., before
opening a three-game Sun Belt Conference series against Georgia State on Friday.