US3 min(s) read
Published 15:07 08 Aug 2026 GMT
The father of a missing Florida teen has shared his chilling theory about her disappearance.
Sophia Cover, 16, vanished from her home in Florida on July 31 - less than two weeks before she was set to return to high school.
She was last seen leaving the family home in Naples, Florida, via surveillance footage at 12:35AM, carrying a bag filled with clothes. She has not been heard from since.
Now, her concerned father Richard Cover has started an impassioned social media campaign to help find his daughter - and he has his own theories as to what might have happened on that fateful day.
Sophia Cover's father Richard has his own theories about what happened on the day of his daughter's disappearance, and he believes she may have been "coerced" into leaving the family home.
Speaking to the New York Post, Richard said that nothing seemed amiss with his daughter in the days and hours leading up to her going missing.
"That’s why I think that somebody convinced her to leave under the false pretenses," he said, admitting that Sophia enjoyed seeking out attention from others and that he "could see my daughter being coerced" to leave the house.
He told the Post: "I think someone has my daughter. That's the best answer."
Following her disappearance, efforts to locate Sophia have been wide-ranging. Collier County authorities have confirmed that they've launched a multi-agency investigation into the case.
Sophia's father is now taking matters into his own hands, taking to social media in an effort to find any more information as to his daughter's whereabouts.
Sophia Cover disappeared from her house in Naples, Florida on July 31.
The last sighting of her was via a surveillance camera in the home, showing her leaving the property at 12:35AM, carrying a bag that contained clothes, a pair of trainers that she loved, and a flatiron pair of straighteners.
Her father discovered she had gone missing at 6:15AM, after being woken by Sophia's 14-month-old dog wailing inside her room. He entered to find no trace of his daughter.
Cover, who lives with his girlfriend and their combined children - which includes Sophia - then checked security camera footage.
Following this, Sophia's father also revealed that a location-sharing app on her phone had been disabled and all calls to her mobile number went straight to voicemail.
The family had recently relocated back to the Florida area five months ago, and Rick Cover says Sophia was glad to be back in the state, and was looking forward to returning to school in two weeks' time.
