Nearly 10 years after a Florida teen vanished in the middle of the night, detectives turn to psychics for help

Krdo · 🇺🇸 public United States · Aug 16, 2026 · 1558 words · By CNN Newssource

Family Grief and Trauma Law Enforcement Strategy Paranormalism in Criminal Investigation

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What to know about Family Grief and Trauma

Nearly 10 years after a Florida teen vanished in the middle of the night, detectives turn to psychics for help By Amanda Musa, CNN Patrick Reeder’s 15-year-old daughter, Sophie, has been missing for just over nine years.

Claims checked 17

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

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Center100%

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3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Since then, the case has gone cold and there have been few developments, he said.

Common ground

Desperate for answers, Reeder is depending on detectives investigating his daughter’s disappearance to crack the case.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Family Grief and Trauma story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Sophie’s story was also the subject of a 2021 episode of “In Pursuit with John Walsh.”?
How does this story connect Family Grief and Trauma with Law Enforcement Strategy over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://krdo.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2026/08/16/nearly-10-years-aft…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 8

schedule Pending 7

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “Sophie’s story was also the subject of a 2021 episode of “In Pursuit with John Walsh.””

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly mention 'In Pursuit with John Walsh' focusing on Sophie Reeder.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2026 in film is an overview of events in the film industry scheduled to occur in 2026. Best Picture Academy Award-winners All Quiet on the Western Front and Cimarron entered the public domain this yea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_film

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Charles John Mahoney (June 20, 1940 – February 4, 2018) was an English-born American actor. He played retired police officer Martin Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier from 1993 to 2004, receiving nominat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mahoney

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sophia Magdalena Scholl (9 May 1921 – 22 February 1943) was a German student and anti-Nazi political activist, active in the White Rose non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany. Raised in a polit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Scholl

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “The affidavit shows the last phone call Sophie made was to Jennings’ phone number at 3:07 a.m. that night”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 3: “Records from Sophie’s phone and Google account indicate her last known location was an apartment complex less than two miles from her house, according to a 2017 police affidavit”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a 2017 police affidavit or a specific apartment complex location.

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Claim 4: “Since 2025, the department has consulted two psychics in Sophie’s case, according to police.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “He never imagined she would vanish from his life on the night of May 19, 2017.”

CORROBORATED

The date of disappearance (May 19, 2017) is consistently reported across multiple independent sources.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sophie-Marie Kumpen (born 30 October 1975) is a Belgian former racing driver and kart racer. She is the former wife of Dutch Formula One driver Jos Verstappen, and mother to four-time World Drivers' C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Kumpen

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sophie Thompson (born 20 January 1962) is a British actress. She has worked in film, television and theatre and she won the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the London revival of I…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Thompson

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “After that call ended, Sophie’s phone continued to ping from that location until 9:13 a.m., according to police records.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 7: “Benjamin Radford, a research fellow and investigator with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 8: “The Fort Lauderdale Police Department told CNN one psychic was paid $1,500 for a 90-day consulting period.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 9: “Sophie, has been missing for just over nine years.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Sophie Reeder disappeared in May 2017. As of 2025/2026 (per the live evidence dates), this is just over nine years.

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web search NEUTRAL — Discover videos related to sophie reader missing case on TikTok. TikTok video from Miya-Sama (@miyasama_by_royalty): “Sophie Reeder was 15 at the time of her disappearance. #missing #unsolved #strathm…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/sophie-reader-missing-case

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web search NEUTRAL — Gone are the days of tedious manual editing. Just let Pixelcut's free background eraser do its wonders and you'll have images with transparent or white backgrounds in seconds.
https://www.pixelcut.ai/background-remover

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Convert PDF to editable Word documents for free. PDF to Word conversion is fast, secure and almost 100% accurate. Convert scanned PDF to DOC keeping the layout.
https://www.ilovepdf.com/pdf_to_word

schedule

Claim 10: “Dr. Dara DeLeon, a clinical psychologist based in Asheville, North Carolina, and a board member of “Sophie’s Light,” a nonprofit founded by Milhorn”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “the Fort Lauderdale Police Department has taken the rare step of consulting two psychic profilers”

CORROBORATED

CNN and other news outlets report that the Fort Lauderdale Police Department consulted psychic profilers, including specific details about payment for one psychic.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, 30 miles (48 km) north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the seat of government of and most populous city in Broward C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lauderdale,_Florida

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue Department is the fire and rescue service provider for the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as the cities of Wilton Manors and Lazy Lake through service contracts.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lauderdale_Fire-Rescue_De…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The NW Raiders is a police crime unit with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Focused primarily on crack cocaine, the NW Raiders were the first police unit in the Unite…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NW_Raiders

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “In a separate surveillance video, Sophie is seen walking along Davie Boulevard – a major road not far from her home – just after 2 a.m.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm a second surveillance video shows her on Davie Boulevard after 2 a.m. on May 20.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Three years after Sophie Reeder went missing at the age of 15, the search continues for information on her whereabouts. On Wednesday, Fort Lauderdale Police released new surveillance video showing Ree…
https://wsvn.com/news/local/police-release-new-surveillance-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Surveillance video from her neighborhood shows the teen walking on a sidewalk around 11:30 p.m. A second camera captures her on Davie Boulevard just after 2 a.m., alone on a desolate street, headphone…
https://dissenter.com/tech/florida-cops-call-psychics-after-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sophie Reeder, 15, was last seen on security video walking along a Fort Lauderdale boulevard at 2:16 a.m. on May 20, 2017.Sophie Reeder, then just 15 years old, had marked May 19, 2017 with an “X” on …
https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/dateline-missing-in-americ…

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Claim 13: “Sophie’s case has garnered national attention and was featured on NBC’s “Dateline: Missing in America” podcast last year.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web results confirm the 'Dateline: Missing in America' podcast covered Sophie Reeder's case, with specific mentions of Season 4 airing in 2025.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Certain American television events in 2026 have been scheduled. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, and cancellations; channel launches, closures, and rebrandings; stations changing…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_American_television

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This Is Us is an American television series created by Dan Fogelman that premiered on NBC on September 20, 2016. The ensemble cast stars Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_This_Is_Us_characters

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 14: “a larger reward” than the $25,000 currently offered.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “At the time of her disappearance, the teen was about five feet tall and weighed approximately 100 pounds.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources describe her as approximately 5'1" (about five feet) and weighing approximately 100 pounds.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Before she disappeared, Sophie was a great kid with an artistic “flair,” Reeder said, but she did deal with “some family issues” growing up.At the time of her disappearance, the teen was about five fe…
https://www.cbs58.com/news/nearly-10-years-after-a-florida-t…

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web search NEUTRAL — At the time of her disappearance, Sophie was 15 years old with brown curly hair and brown eyes. She stood 5’1”, and weighed approximately 100 pounds.
https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/missing-in-america/sophie-r…

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web search NEUTRAL — At the time of her disappearance, Sophie was described as being 5’1” tall and weighing 100 pounds. There is currently a reward of up to $25,000 being offered for information that leads to her recovery…
https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/dateline-missing-in-americ…

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Claim 16: “Surveillance video from a home in her neighborhood, Citrus Isle, shows the teen walking on the sidewalk around 11:30 p.m.”

CORROBORATED

Evidence from Dissenter and Trinity Mount Ministries confirms surveillance video of her in her neighborhood around 11:30 p.m.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Security video shows Sophie Reeder walking down Davie Boulevard.He never imagined she would vanish from his life on the night of May 19, 2017. Reeder said he spotted Sophie moseying around the house o…
https://www.kwwl.com/news/social/nearly-10-years-after-a-flo…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sophie Reeder Photo by Dr Phil. On May 14, 2017, Sophie spent Mother’s Day with Nicole for what turned out to be the last time.According to Patrick, he last saw Sophie around 11:30 pm on May 19 when s…
https://www.trinitymountministries.com/search/label/Sophie+R…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sophie Elizabeth Reeder. Sophie, circa 2017; Sophie on the night of her disappearance; Age-progression to age 20 (circa 2022). Missing Since 05/19/2017. Missing From Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
https://charleyproject.org/case/sophie-elizabeth-reeder

help

Claim 17: “The complex was home to a then-37-year-old convicted felon named Leonard Jennings, who Fort Lauderdale police say is a “person of interest,” not a suspect, in Sophie’s case.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a person of interest named Leonard Jennings.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.