Could Sophie Long have been abducted to save her?? That’s what her grandfather thinks.
As we’ve been reporting, the 10-year-old who went viral last year with the hashtag #StandWithSophie went missing last week and is believed to be with her father, Michael Long — who does not have custody. Did he take her to save her from the sexual abuse she alleged in that harrowing viral video?
In an interview with DailyMail.com on Friday, the 42-year-old’s father claimed that his son took Sophie in order to protect her from returning to an “abusive environment.” He explained to the publication:
“First of all, while people don’t know where Sophie is, she is safe and with Michael. The reason she is not being given over to the court is to buy time for filing more court documents. We do not want her to go back to the abusive environment she was in. The court has attacked Michael but not addressed the drugs and sexual assault.”
If you’ve been following the story, you may know that Sophie was last seen on July 12 in Seguin, Texas, and is possibly heading towards somewhere in the Mountain West region or South America. According to DailMail.com, authorities believe that the father grabbed the girl after the court ordered her to enter family reunification therapy with her mother while living with her aunt Danielle Hamlin — who has full custody at the moment.
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For the last couple of years, Sophie’s parents have been embroiled in a nasty custody dispute over their three children. And as you may recall, the 10-year-old child first caught the attention of the public when videos showing her screaming in distress went viral in August 2020. In the footage, she held onto the seats of Michael’s car while accusing her mother’s fiancé of sexual abuse.
His ex-wife Kelly Long has since denied the allegations, and sources supporting her told DailyMail.com they believed her father had been “coaching” Sophie into making the accusations. New court documents obtained by the publication seemingly sided with the mother, as a judge found Michael “engaged in a knowing or intentional pattern of behavior that has interfered with the relationship” between Sophie and Kelly. The paperwork also mentioned:
“The court finds that based on the evidence presented, allowing the child S.L. to remain in the care of MICHAEL LONG would constitute an immediate and substantial danger to the child’s physical health and/or emotional and psychological wellbeing.”
Subsequently, Michael lost contact privileges with his children for at least three months on July 7, until he paid $20,000 in therapy for three kids. He was also ordered to attend 10 therapy sessions, as well.
Furthermore, the dad was prohibited from “hiding or secreting the children in any way” and “placing a telephone call, anonymously, at any unreasonable hour, in an offensive and repetitious manner, or without any legitimate purpose of communication with the intent to annoy or alarm the other party.” All of which Michael has since protested in a petition filed to the judge.
Wow…
It’s hard to see exactly what’s going on here, but it seems to us the worst thing would be if the court put a young child back into a situation of abuse.
We’re are really hoping that Sophie is truly safe, no matter where she is, and we are keeping her in our thoughts.
[Image via Texas Department Of Public Safety]
The post Missing #StandWithSophie 10-Year-Old's Grandfather Says ‘She Is Safe’ Now With Father — Who Took Her To Protect Her From Alleged Abuse appeared first on Perez Hilton.
