Florida Teen Found Safe After Disappearing For Two Weeks

A sixteen-year-old girl has been located after vanishing from her Florida home nearly two weeks ago. The search turned desperate as fears grew that she was being forced away by someone else. Surveillance video captured a haunting image of Sophia Veronica Cover fleeing into the dark with a sweatshirt pulled over her head in the early hours of July 31. She left Naples and did not show up for school or return to her family.

Her parents issued emotional pleas asking strangers for help. Then, on Monday, the Collier County Sheriff's Office announced the news from more than 1,200 miles away. Sophia was found safe in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. She had been picked up by an FBI agent at a friend's house there. Her father, Richard Cover, shared this relief through the Florida Themis Project, a nonprofit group that supports families dealing with unsolved crimes.

'Sophia has been found safe. Totally safe,' Cover said while crying on camera. 'She was picked up at a friend's house in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, by the FBI.' He added that he planned to fly out immediately to be with his daughter again. The father explained what seemed like a nightmare scenario might have just been teens acting foolishly.

'All the bad things that I thought were happening and could happen, it sounds like just some teenagers deciding that they were smarter than everybody else and decided to go hang out together for a few days,' Cover said. 'Then it turned into 11.' He meant eleven days of worry before she was found. The community support has been immense, he noted, with no judgment from anyone.

'I have no words. I feel like I have faith in humanity again,' he told reporters through tears. Sophia is healthy and okay now. Cover joked that the next step for him as a dad is figuring out what to do next after this ordeal ends. He thanked Detective Marisol Rodriguez specifically, saying she handled his fear and frustration while keeping the investigation moving forward.

'It's unclear how Sophia traveled from Florida to New Jersey,' he admitted in a recent video. 'I would be sharing more information after their reunion.' The sheriff called him at 4pm on Monday with the news. 'We got her!' was what Richard Cover heard over the phone. He had launched a viral social media campaign using photos and videos of his daughter taken during those scary days when she disappeared.

David Cover told reporters that Sophia's siblings and family were terrified for their safety. He later confirmed she was alive, stating a friend had already picked her up. Cover added he is praying the runaways stems from rebellion. He confessed that even though he dislikes it when she runs away, he remains grateful she kept herself safe. Kids make mistakes, after all.

He shared online details about Sophia's history. She came to live with him in Pennsylvania back in 2014 following years spent with her mother in Panama. Cover previously told Gulf Coast News Now they only moved to Florida four months ago. The father feared the worst moments his daughter vanished. Speaking to that outlet, he said she likely left because someone convinced her or promised her something. He believes she is in trouble right now and suspects someone has taken my daughter. That is what I believe. He hopes he is wrong though.

Cover started a social media campaign to find his daughter. He posted multiple videos of loved ones talking about Sophia under the hashtag #FindSophia. Now Cover plans to fly to New Jersey on Wednesday. His goal is simple: reunite with Sophia and learn more about her disappearance.