A Florida father broke down in tears after learning his 16-year-old daughter, missing for 11 days, had been found safe more than 1,200 miles from home.
Sophia Veronica Cover was last seen on home surveillance video leaving her family’s residence in Golden Gate Estates, near Naples, around 12:45 a.m. on July 31. She walked out wearing a dark hoodie with the hood up and carrying a backpack. Her father, Rick Cover, realized she was gone later that morning when the family dogs started whimpering. He found the pool bathroom door unlocked and her bedroom empty. Her phone’s location sharing had been turned off and soon went to voicemail.
Cover immediately reported her missing and launched a public search, sharing the surveillance footage and pleading for information. The family had moved to Southwest Florida from the Philadelphia area only a few months earlier. Cover told local reporters he did not believe his daughter would simply run away and feared she may have been pressured or coerced into leaving. “I think someone has my daughter,” he said during the search. “She’s my buddy.”
On Aug. 10, the FBI located Sophia at a friend’s house in Cherry Hill, N.J. She was confirmed safe and healthy. Authorities took her into custody for interviews and removed her from missing-person databases. Cover received the news that afternoon and shared an emotional video update.
“Sophia has been found safe. Totally safe,” he said, visibly fighting back tears. “She was picked up today at a friend’s house in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, by the FBI. She is currently in their custody.” He added that he planned to fly to New Jersey as soon as possible to bring her home. “We’re going to take it a day at a time… We’re going to find out exactly what happened.”
Cover publicly thanked the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Detective Marisol Rodriguez, the FBI, and the many people who shared Sophia’s photo and kept her story visible. “For the first time in what feels like forever, I can finally say this: Sophia has been found. Sophia is safe,” he wrote. “From the bottom of this dad’s heart, thank you all.”
As of the latest updates, Sophia remains safe and the family is working with authorities on the next steps of her return.
