A ten-year-old Texas woman on the heart of the #StandWithSophie marketing campaign is lacking and is feared to have been kidnapped by her father one 12 months after she accused her mom’s fiancé of sexually abusing her.
Sophie Lengthy was final seen on July 12 in Seguin, Texas and is believed to be together with her 42-year-old father Michael Lengthy.
Lengthy, who doesn’t have custody of his daughter, is believed to be driving a white 2010 Ford Edge SUV or a grey van with blacked out home windows, in line with authorities.
Police are describing the case as a ‘household abduction’ and imagine Lengthy could also be en path to Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Mexico and even Argentina along with his daughter.
Sophie is the kid that sparked the #StandWithSophie marketing campaign final 12 months after she was filmed in a viral video screaming for assist.
The viral video, which was filmed at a custody handover on August 14 final 12 months, confirmed Sophie desperately clinging to the seats of her father’s automotive and accusing her mom’s fiancé, who the kids name Mr Jake, of sexual abuse.
After posting the video on-line, Lengthy began a GoFundMe that acquired $200,000 in donations so he may assist pay his authorized charges in a custody battle with Sophie’s mom Kelly Lengthy.
Sophie Lengthy was final seen on July 12 and is believed to be together with her father Michael Lengthy, who doesn’t have custody of the kid, in a case which police are describing as a ‘household abduction’
Michael, 42, is believed to be driving a white 2010 Ford Edge SUV or a grey van with blacked out home windows, officers in Texas stated
Texas Division of Public Security stated in a statement: ‘Lacking juvenile is believed to be together with her non-custodial mother or father, Michael Lengthy, and could also be en path to Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Mexico or Argentina.
‘Michael Lengthy is presumably driving an off white 2010 Ford Edge SUV or a grey van with blacked out home windows, a NRA sticker and a black rack on high. Lacking juvenile has a small burn mark on one among her arms.’
Her mom Kelly Lengthy informed DailyMail.com in September final 12 months that the state of affairs is ‘heartbreaking and terrifying’.
Kelly, of Frisco, Texas, is seen within the video alongside together with her mom Kim Mitton, who was filmed pulling at Sophie’s ankles earlier than stepping into the automobile in an finally abortive try and get her to come back.
After Michael posted the footage on-line, it sparked a marketing campaign known as #StandWithSophie and he raised $200,000 to pay his authorized payments through a GoFundMe web page.
Kelly, who stated she has been subjected to tons of of abusive emails and loss of life threats because the video went viral, stated on the time she was determined to get her kids again.
In September final 12 months a choose granted Kelly custody of Sophie and her two youthful brothers, permitting Michael visitation rights.
Her mom Kelly Lengthy informed DailyMail.com in September final 12 months that the state of affairs is ‘heartbreaking and terrifying’. She’s seen in a clip from a wellness verify that was carried out final 12 months
Sophie, from Texas, has sparked the #StandWithSophie marketing campaign after she was seen a viral video posted by her organic father Michael (above with Sophie) claiming her mom’s fiancé sexually assaults her
She launched an announcement completely to DailyMail.com wherein she stated final 12 months’s occasions have been ‘heartbreaking, terrifying and past comprehension’.
Kelly additionally stated on the time she has been reluctant to debate Sophie’s claims and the custody battle as a result of she desires to guard all three kids.
The mom-of-three stated: ‘I’ve been hesitant to talk out as a result of as a involved mom, my foremost precedence is to guard the security and dignity of all of my kids, together with Sophie.
‘This whole state of affairs has been heartbreaking, terrifying and past comprehension.’
She added: ‘I’m simply placing one foot in entrance of the opposite and can do all the pieces I can to guard, protect and assist all three of my kids someway course of the trauma they’re experiencing.
‘I am unable to wait to carry my infants in my arms once more.’
Sources near Kelly informed DailyMail.com that she strongly disputes the claims Sophie has been sexually abused whereas in her care and believes she was coached to say so by Michael.
Kelly says she has acquired tons of of abusive emails and loss of life threats because the video went viral and says she is determined to get her kids again
Kelly was seen within the now-viral video trying to tug daughter Sophie out of the automotive throughout a custody change in August final 12 months
Sophie is seen telling her grandmother Kim Mitton, who’s her organic mom’s mom, of abuse throughout a custody change. She is seen screaming and crying as she refuses to go together with her grandmother
Exterior court docket of a court docket listening to final month, a handful of protesters waved indicators and demonstrated their help for Sophie – calling for her to be returned to her father instantly
The 34-year-old has additionally instructed a group of legal professionals to subject a fraud alert on the #StandWithSophie GoFundMe web page and is making an attempt to have all supplies associated to the marketing campaign eliminated.
In an announcement issued to DailyMail.com, her attorneys stated they imagine the web page ‘deliberately misleads the general public with false claims and has sparked harmful requires violence’.
A spokesman for Kelly added: ‘We’ve alerted the authorities and attorneys are doing all the pieces they’ll to warn the general public concerning the false nature of those claims.
‘Michael Lengthy’s private vendetta in opposition to his ex-wife has now escalated to harmful ranges.’
Kelly and Michael have been battling it out over the custody of their three kids since they divorced in 2015.
He claims the cut up was on account of infidelity and emotional abuse on her half: she claims he was an abusive husband.
Sources near Kelly say that she strongly disputes the claims Sophie has been sexually abused and believes she was coached to say so by Michael
Kelly was initially awarded sole custody of the kids. Michael informed DailyMail.com in an interview in September final 12 months that he selected to depart them together with her as a result of she stored the marital dwelling and he wished them to have stability.
He says he had private points to cope with within the wake of the divorce and moved to Gilbert, Arizona, for eight months the place he met his now spouse Kourtney Chalmers, 34.
In September final 12 months a choose granted Kelly custody of the kids, permitting Michael visitation rights.
Each he and Kourtney say Sophie has made a number of outcries about sexual abuse of their mom’s dwelling to them and has repeated her claims in forensic interviews.
They are saying the kid is just too petrified of her mom to discuss the alleged abuse in entrance of her and say her two brothers have additionally been topic to a marketing campaign of terror by the hands of their mom and her fiancé.
Kelly stated all of this can be a lie and stated her ex-husband has a historical past of constructing false claims about her – pointing to earlier incidents in 2016 and 2017.
Sophie and her two youthful brothers are within the heart of a bitter custody battle in Frisco, Texas, between her dad and mom Michael and Kelly. They’re now within the care of their father till trial in November
Sophie’s father and stepmother are pictured. They are saying they’ve spent $30,000 preventing to get custody of Sophie and have now determined to go public and have raised $200,000 on GoFundMe
A supply near the household stated: ‘A number of medical suppliers, together with a pediatrician, hospitals, and the Division of Little one Protecting Providers (CPS) have all dominated quite a few occasions, after a number of medical examinations, that there isn’t any proof of any sexual abuse or neglect, nor proof to help different outrageous claims made by Michael.’
The supply added: ‘Sophie, and her brothers have all undergone in depth interviews with forensic psychologists, beneath the route of CPS.
‘Throughout all interviews with these professionals, Sophie has by no means expressed an outcry.
‘She has apparently solely accomplished so when coached by her father Michael Lengthy and stepmother Kourtney Chalmers throughout self-produced movies.’
Household sources additionally accused Michael of sending Kelly ‘cryptic threats’ and ‘rambling’ textual content messages and declare he reveals ‘an unstable sample of habits over the previous a number of years’.
The supply added: ‘Throughout his marriage to Kelly Lengthy, he was psychologically abusive which served as a major cause for his or her divorce.’
However Kourtney and Michael each say they’ve good cause to imagine the kids are being abused and can’t perceive why CPS retains returning them to their mom.
A non-public Fb group known as Stand With Sophie has over 120,000 members who’re elevating consciousness about Sophie’s case
Sophie’s father Michael and his spouse Kourtney beforehand sat down with DailyMail.com for an unique interview the place they are saying they’re wracked with guilt over the alleged abuse
Talking to DailyMail.com, Kourtney stated: ‘It is actually, actually arduous. There’s a number of guilt – you attempt to suppose if there was an indication you possibly can have seen sooner, in the event that they had been making an attempt to let you know in another manner.
‘It felt simply terrible [to hear what she said] and you’re feeling disgusted on a regular basis, particularly with all people telling you proper and left that it should not be this tough to take away a baby from an abusive state of affairs.
‘I simply do not perceive why all people simply retains throwing them again to the wolves.’
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