Wisconsin teen found safe; man arrested, due in court on Friday

MILWAUKEE - Gary Day, 40, is scheduled to appear in court in Nebraska on Friday, April 4. Prosecutors accuse him of abducting a teenage girl from Beaver Dam. 

The teen was found on Wednesday – her 17th birthday – near Omaha, Nebraska.

Editor's note: In past stories, FOX6 News named the missing teenager and showed her picture because there was an Amber Alert. Police and the public were trying to find her and bring her to safety. Now, she's been found and identified as a crime victim. At this point, FOX6 will no longer use her name and photo to protect her privacy. 

Images tied to search for Gary Day

Amber Alert issued

The backstory:

An Amber Alert was issued in Wisconsin after the teenage girl was last seen at her home on Feb. 2. At the time, she was 16 years old and three months pregnant. Amber Alerts were later issued in Arkansas and Missouri. 

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

The teen was found in Nebraska. She was with 40-year-old Gary Day, who is now in custody. Police said he is the father of the unborn child, and the two began talking online roughly a year ago.

How were they found?

What we know:

Nearly 500 miles from Beaver Dam, the "see something, say something" mantra ended the search for the missing teen. 

"They observed an adult male and juvenile female, and they just thought it was suspicious – that maybe they just didn't go together," said Lt. Dennis Svoboda with the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office.

After talking with the teen, a 911 caller went online and saw an Amber Alert for her, along with a photo of the man investigators said she was with. 

Gary Day

Dig deeper:

Police said Day was seen on surveillance near the teen's home in February. His booking photo looks a lot different from the photos shared in police social media posts and prior Amber Alerts. 

"He definitely was trying to elude investigation and subsequent arrest, which makes him even more problematic," said Stan Stojkovic, professor emeritus of criminology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

Day also changed license plates on the car he was driving, and Svoboda said the two may have hitchhiked around the country. That's partially why Stojkovic gave kudos to all involved law enforcement agencies.

In custody

What's next:

Day remains in custody in the Sarpa County Jail, where he faces misdemeanor charges. He has outstanding child abuse charges in Arkansas against a different child, on top of felony charges in Wisconsin tied to Franklin.