Missing Texas Girl Found In Foreign Country With Father After He Accused His Ex’s Partner Of Sexual Abuse
He claims he was trying to protect her.
Texas Department of Public Safety / Facebook A Texas father has been arrested after disappearing with his daughter five months ago.
11-year-old Sophie Long was found in a foreign country with her father, Michael Long, who has been suspected to have kidnapped her back in July.
Sophie is currently in protective custody and arrangements are being made for her to be safely returned home, according to the Collin County Sheriff’s Office.
“Many months of determined work by my deputies, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals paid off this morning. We are so happy that Sophie is safe,” Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said.
Where was Sophie Long found?
Police have refused to disclose where exactly Sophie was found. However, there have been speculations that Michael was planning to take his daughter to Mexico or Argentina.
Michael Long is in police custody after allegedly taking Sophie.
As the authorities are trying to bring Sophie back to the States, Michael is set to face charges of interference with child custody.
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Michael and his ex-wife, Kelly Long had been in a custody battle over Sophie since 2015. In May, Sophie was sent to live with her maternal aunt.
Their case has captured media attention since 2020 due to accusations made by Michael against the fiancee of Sophie's mother.
Michael Long has accused Jake Bellington of sexually abusing Sophie.
In July, Michael stated that he doesn’t want to return Sophie to her mother’s family after she accused Kelly’s fiancee, Jake Bellington of sexual abuse.
In August 2020, a video of Sophie went viral which has been deleted now. In the video, she is seen clinging to her father’s car seat and accusing Bellington of sexual abuse.
Following that, Michael claimed that Sophie had been diagnosed with a vaginal infection after accusing Bellington of abuse.
Following these claims, the Frisco Police Department in Texas opened an investigation into the case. Sophie and her two brothers were handed to Michael temporarily.
However, that was short-lived when Kelly’s attorney suggested that the boys should go back to their mother after they showed behavioral problems and claimed that all the allegations made by Michael had been a “personal vendetta against his ex-wife.”
Amidst the ongoing case, Sophie was sent to her maternal aunt. Bellington has profusely denied the accusations and claimed Michael coerced Sophie into making these allegations.
Michael Long admited he would 'go to jail' to protect Sophie.
Sophie was last seen on July 12 but Michael insisted that her disappearance was in her best interests. Speaking to the media after Sophie went missing, Michael claimed he hadn’t kidnapped Sophie, rather he had taken her away from her maternal family due to past issues.
He said, “This isn't a criminal matter, it isn't oh, he's going to jail if we find him kind of thing. It's a time period. And I knew the only thing to do next was to file an appeal and to do it quickly. But you need time to do that. Within days of the hearing, there's a missing poster floating about. No, she's with me and we're laying low until the next step.”
"I'd absolutely go to jail to protect Sophie. I'd do anything for her," Michael added.
Michael Long's estranged wife has sided with Sophie's mother.
Kourtney Chalmers, Michael’s current wife, had been called to court in a hearing in May. It was then that Michael thought she had colluded with his ex-wife.
After Sophie went missing, Chalmers had also posted about it on Facebook and shared information about Michael. “A psychological evaluation reported Michael is not a stable person for Sophie to be with and he has threatened to flee the country with her.”
Kelly Long has demanded that Michael should go to prison for 2.5 years for not giving Sophie back to her and insisted he be placed on a 10-year probation. Along with that Kelly is asking that he pay her legal costs and the $20,000 he was ordered to pay in July for family therapy of Kelly and his children.
Sanika Nalgirkar, M.F.A. is a writer and an Editorial Intern at YourTango who writes on entertainment & news, lifestyle, and pop culture topics.