Where is Sophie Long? Texas girl who became centerpiece of #StandWithSophie Campaign is missing
A Texas girl, who was the centerpiece of a viral campaign #StandWithSophie, has disappeared. Sophie Long made headlines in 2020 after alleged abuse videos of her went viral. In the videos, she was seen pleading for help and accused her mother of being a part of the sexual abuse. However, the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety have now stated that the ten-year-old is missing.
According to reports, Sophie was with her father, Michael Long, when she went missing. Michael is her non-custodial parent and as per earlier reports, he has been fighting an ongoing battle for custody of his three kids with Kelly Long for years. In 2020, a GoFundMe was also launched to help him with legal funds. It was alleged that the girl’s mother -- Kelly Long -- subjected her to domestic violence, sexual grooming, and molestation/rape.
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But Kelly denied all the accusations. A family spokesperson said that law enforcement was informed after heinous allegations were made and an alleged fraudulent GoFundMe was started. The spokesperson added, “We have alerted the authorities and attorneys are doing everything they can to warn the public about the false nature of these claims. Michael Long’s personal vendetta against his ex-wife has now escalated to dangerous levels.”
In September 2000, a Texas Amicus lawyer “appointed by the court to represent the best interests of the children” said that it’s better for the three children to be with their mother. Michael was never granted full custody of the kids, but he was allowed to visit them. The Amicus lawyer had given several reasons at the time explaining why it’s better to have Kelly as the primary custodian. The reasons included: while being with their father, the kids did not attend school; Michael was allegedly selling “Facetime” interviews with his daughter; he received $200,000 with a GoFundMe page by allegedly telling lies and the pair’s oldest child was seen by at least five different physicians for sexual abuse examinations while in the care of Michael. The attorney also added that she “conducted her own interviews and reviewed extensive evidence and documents provided by medical professionals, Child Protective Services, and police.”
According to the Guadalupe Sherrif’s Department, for his latest court custody hearing, Michael came alone without Sophie. She was last seen on July 12, 2021, in Seguin, Guadalupe County. Describing the circumstances, the Texas Department of Public Safety stated in a release, “Missing juvenile is believed to be with her non-custodial parent, Michael Long, and may be en route to Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Mexico or Argentina. Michael Long is possibly driving an off white 2010 Ford Edge SUV or a gray van with blacked out windows, a NRA sticker and a black rack on top. Missing juvenile has a small burn mark on one of her arms.” Sophie has been described as a White girl with blue eyes and blonde hair. Her height is five feet and she weighs around 95 lbs.
People with information related to the case have been requested to inform the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Missing Persons Clearinghouse at (512) 424-5074.