Sophie Long is a 10-year-old Texas child who is missing after authorities believe her father Michael Long abducted her following viral videos alleging abuse.
The child’s parents have been embroiled in a heated custody dispute over their three children; the courts have sided against Michael Long, and the mother denies any accusations of abuse.
The child hasn’t been seen since July 12, 2021. “We are unfortunately dealing with a very volatile and increasingly dangerous situation. Michael Long will seemingly stop at nothing to destroy his ex-wife, even if it wreaks massive psychological damage on his family and involves stealing money from the public through false claims,” said a family spokesperson in an early news release from a law firm.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Authorities Believe Sophie’s Dad May Have Taken Her Out of the Country to Mexico or Argentina
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, it’s suspected that Sophie Alese Long was taken involuntarily through a “family abduction.”
She is 5 foot tall with a date of birth on September 16, 2010. She is wite with blue eyes and blonde hair, weighing 95 pounds.
She was last seen in Seguin (Guadalupe) and is missing from the state of Texas. She was last seen on July 12, 2021.
“Circumstances: Missing juvenile is believed to be with her non-custodial parent, Michael Long, and may be en route to Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Mexico or Argentina. Michael Long is possibly driving an off white 2010 Ford Edge SUV or a gray van with blacked out windows, a NRA sticker and a black rack on top. Missing juvenile has a small burn mark on one of her arms,” authorities wrote.
They list Michael Jon Long as the “abductor.” He is 6 foot 4 inches tall, with blonde hair and green eyes, weighing 205 pounds. He’s age 42.
2. Video of Sophie in Apparent Distress Went Viral in 2020
Sophie Long first came to the public’s attention when videos showing her in apparent distress went viral. The video was shared to YouTube, where it’s been watched over 400,000 times, with the hashtag #standwithsophie.
Michael Long lodged accusations of abuse; the video showed the child saying she didn’t want to visit her mother.
According to Fox News, Sophie’s mom denied the allegations of abuse and an attorney was appointed by the court to represent Sophie and figure it all out. That attorney said the video was “self-produced “ and “heavily edited” and Kelly Long should get sole legal custody, Fox News reported.
According to Fox, Michael Long was accused in court filings of coaching the children and barely sending them to school. Doctors found no signs of sexual abuse in the oldest child after an examination.
The father raised $200,000 through a GoFundMe page that raised the abuse accusations.
In one instance a “gun-carrying, angry social media mob” caused Kelly to hide out in a hotel, Fox reported. The couple has three children.
3. A Law Firm Declared the Dad’s GoFundMe Page ‘Fraud’
FacebookMichael Long
The Routzon Law Firm tried to warn people that the dad’s GoFundMe page was “fraud.”
The press release states:
The Routzon Law Firm has issued an immediate fraud alert for the viral ‘Stand with Sophie’ GoFundMe Page. The page has raised over $200,000 for 9-year-old Texas girl Sophie Long and father Michael Long, who alleges that Sophie is the victim of abuse under the supervision of her mother, Kelly Long.
Kelly Long has not yet spoken out publicly regarding the case. As a concerned mother, her foremost priority is to protect the safety and dignity of all three of her children, including Sophie.
However, extensive evidence and documents provided by medical professionals, Child Protective Services, and the Frisco Police Department of Texas show that these claims against Kelly Long are entirely unfounded.
The firm noted, “We have alerted the authorities and attorneys are doing everything they can to warn the public about the false nature of these claims. Michael Long’s personal vendetta against his ex-wife has now escalated to dangerous levels,” said a family spokesperson. The firm added, “The fraud alert comes just days after Michael Long’s “Stand with Sophie” Facebook page was taken down due to calls of violence against Kelly Long. Attracting thousands of Facebook users, the page disseminated false information to unaware members of the public.”
The firm provided what it said were these facts that run counter to some of the messaging on social media:
Multiple medical providers, including a pediatrician, hospitals, and the Department of Child Protective Services (CPS) have all ruled numerous times, after multiple medical examinations, that there is no evidence of any sexual abuse or neglect, nor evidence to support other outrageous claims made by Michael.
Sophie, and her brothers have all undergone extensive interviews with forensic psychologists, under the direction of CPS. During all interviews with these professionals, Sophie has never expressed an outcry. She has apparently only done so when coached by her father Michael Long and stepmother Kourtney Chalmers during self-produced videos.
In 2016, 2017, and now again in 2020, Michael Long has demonstrated a pattern of making false and outlandish allegations against Kelly Long. After reviewing previous allegations against Kelly Long, CPS/Courts determined Michael Long’s claims to be entirely disreputable, and Michael Long himself mediated for reduced custody of the children.
Michael Long has never had full, or even half custody of the children. Following his divorce with Kelly Long in 2015, he agreed to establish Kelly as the Sole Managing Conservator. He then moved to another state voluntarily and did not see or speak to any of his children for eight months.
Experts believe that Michael Long’s actions form a textbook example of ‘parental alienation’ – a type of child abuse in which he has consistently used psychological manipulation to turn his daughter Sophie against her mother.
Michael Long often communicates rambling, cryptic threats to his ex-wife Kelly and members of her family, and has demonstrated an unstable pattern of behavior over the past several years. During his marriage to Kelly Long, he was psychologically abusive which served as a primary reason for their divorce.
Michael Long frequently references beliefs in magical beings, his practice of magic, and has threatened to “use magic” to attack his ex-wife Kelly Long. In 2014, Michael Long claimed to have died and returned to life having been granted secret knowledge of the universe by Albert Einstein.
Michael Long has substantial financial woes, which appears to be motivation for his attempts to monetize his child custody case. He filed for bankruptcy in 2011 leaving a debt of nearly $500,000. His current source of income is produced through a business that he runs with his wife Kourtney Chalmers and family in which they sell sand infused with spiritual energy online.
Since March of 2020, he has resided in an RV on his parent’s property. His three children also reside in this RV during their visits with their father and stepmother.
4. Michael Long Tried to Get President Trump’s Attention to the Case
On September 9, 2020, Long posted on his Twitter account, which has the user handle @standwithsophie, “Dear @realDonaldTrump, As a Father to a Daughter, I’m sure you can appreciate my dilemma. I need your help Sir. Will you help me #standwithsophie? #savethechildren.” Trump never got involved.
At that time, his attorney told Heavy that a judge had ruled Sophie and her brothers would be placed with Michael Long, but that didn’t last long.
The page Sophie Long Case Updates posted the “official court findings in the Sophie Long case.”
They say that the court found that Michael Long “has engaged in a knowing and intentional pattern of behavior that has interfered with the relationship [Sophie] and Kelly Long.”
He interfered in reunification counseling between Sophie and her mother that was ordered on October 2, 2020, and allowing the child to remain in his care “would constitute an immediate and substantial danger to the child’s physical health and/or emotional and psychological well-being,” the court found.
Thus, the court found it was in the child’s best interest to temporarily place her in the custody of her maternal aunt and possibly her maternal grandmother if it became interest.
It was ordered that Michael Long have no contact for at least 90 days with her dather and that the child and Kelly Long participate in reunification therapy.
5. Sophie’s Stepmother Wrote That ‘Michael Is Not a Stable Person,’ According to an Evaluation
FacebookMichael Long
On July 18, 2021, Kourtney Chalmers wrote on the Facebook page Sophie Long Case Updates, “It has been 10 days since Sophie went missing. The DPS listing has old photos of Sophie and Michael unfortunately. I’ve included a group of pictures that were all taken in the last year. I’m praying this will help someone spot them and help us bring Sophie home safely.”
Chalmers is Sophie’s stepmother.
She wrote: “Again, 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. If you see Michael and Sophie please DO NOT approach them or post it on social media. Call the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office at 830-379-1224. Do not call unless you have reliable information on Sophie’s location or you could be the reason someone who does know where she is waits on hold. Please share. Someone you know may have seen them. Let’s find her before this situation becomes anymore heartbreaking. Thank you!”
She organized a GoFundMe raising more than $200,000. It read,
Sophie, 9 years old, has disclosed she has been continuously subjected to domestic violence, sexual grooming, and most recently molestation/rape in her primary residence. Her father is fighting for her life while her abusers pull every resource to get their hands back on her. The biological mother, according to Sophie, is a part of the sexual abuse and is encouraging it. We have gone through 30 thousand dollars since June and the fight somehow isn’t over. We have been dealing with CPS, Law Enforcement, Lawyers, DFPS, Forensic interviews, and several doctors that are helping with Sophie’s recent medical issues in her private areas and as a resolute of the assault by her mother and grandmother in this video. She is desperate to be saved from that environment and we are desperate to help her. She states her life has been threatened by these people and she is afraid, but has brave heart and wants to help her brothers get away from the abuse too.
Please see minutes 14:40 through 16:30 in this video. She is begging the biological mom’s mother (her grandmother) to listen and tells her what is happening to her. Her grandmother asks “who’s touching you” She says Mr. Jake and Mommy watches…. Mommy watches it happen.” Her grandmother asks “Where does he touch you” Sophie says “my Vivi” Sophie goes on to talk about blood in her underwear and the fighting and how she is tired of all of it. The grandmother dismisses her completely and says that if she felt that bad about herself she couldn’t have gotten the lead in the school play or done gymnastics. She does not say anything about them abusing her, but instead acts as if she never said it. Throughout the rest of this video her mother and grandmother attempt to drag her out of her fathers Vehicle and you can hear Sophie’s many pleas to not go back to that place of torment for her young mind and body.
We are down to the wire and in an all out legal fight while trying to get law enforcement everything they need for their investigation. Somehow, the court is actually considering giving them back to her mother and the people who help her physically and mentally assault the children according to Sophie and the boys – including relatives of her fiancee who Sophie has described horrific sexual encounters withStand With Sophie .
Anything helps. I am her Step Mother, Kourtney Chalmers. Thank you all so much for listening and thank you in advance to everyone who lets her know they hear her and they stand with her. Any contributions will go towards the cost of an incredible team that will fight for Sophie, the boys, and for us. We have two law firms who plan to fight hard to free the children from this fate and we plan to also use this to get them counseling and create a safe place for them to grow up and just be kids again.
New donations are not being accepted on the page anymore.
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