Sophia Veronica Cover, a 16-year-old missing from Naples, Florida, has been found safe in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, authorities announced Monday. She had been missing for nearly two weeks.
The FBI located Cover, who was last seen on surveillance footage leaving her family home in the early hours of July 31, more than 1,200 miles away. Her father, Richard Cover, confirmed her safe return and stated he was traveling to New Jersey to reunite with her.
"Sophia has been found safe. Totally safe," Richard Cover said in a video shared by The Florida Themis Project, a nonprofit supporting victims of unsolved crimes. "She was picked up at a friend's house in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, by the FBI."
Richard Cover expressed relief and gratitude for the community's support, recounting the harrowing experience of not knowing his daughter's whereabouts. He had previously voiced fears that Sophia might have been coerced into leaving her home.
"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, then it turned into 11," he commented regarding the duration of her disappearance.
The Collier County Sheriff's Office, with whom Cover had been in contact, confirmed the development. Cover specifically thanked Detective Marisol Rodriguez for her work on the case.
It remains unclear how Sophia Cover traveled from Florida to New Jersey. Her father indicated he would share more information following their reunion. He had previously shared photos and videos online, launching a social media campaign under the hashtag #FindSophia, with family members expressing their worry.
Richard Cover noted that Sophia came to live with him in Pennsylvania in 2014 and that the family had moved to Florida only four months prior to her disappearance. He had expressed concern that Sophia might have been promised something or convinced to leave by someone, but voiced hope that she was simply rebelling and had remained safe.