16-Year-Old Girl Remains Missing 10 Days After Vanishing from Home, Leading Father to Believe ‘Someone Has My Daughter’

Sophia Cover vanished from her Florida home on July 31

NEED TO KNOW

• Sophia Cover was last seen leaving her Naples, Fla., home on surveillance footage on July 31
• Her father, Richard Cover, believes she may have been abducted and has shared emotional pleas for her safe return
• Sophia, 16, recently moved to Florida with her family and was set to return to high school in less than two weeks

The father of missing teenager Sophia Cover is appealing for her safe return.

While recounting the night his 16-year-old daughter Sophia disappeared from their Naples, Fla. home to Gulf Coast News, Richard Cover expressed concern that she may have been abducted.

“That day she was in … so the dog’s whining so I walk around, go through the pool bathroom door and that’s unlocked. I walk into her bedroom and she’s nowhere to be found,” he told the outlet. “I think that she left the house because someone either convinced her to, or promised her something and I think that she’s in trouble right now.”

Sophia was last seen leaving her home in Golden Gate Estates on foot at about 12:45 a.m. local time on July 31, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) said in a Facebook alert. She is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, 115 pounds with long brown hair and brown eyes.

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As it’s been over a week since his daughter disappeared, Richard has come to believe Sophia was taken against her will.

“I think someone has my daughter, is what I believe,” he told Gulf Coast News. “There is no way that she is going and putting me through this for five days … She’s my buddy,” he added through tears.

Surveillance footage reviewed by WZVN showed Sophia leaving her house on 62nd Avenue Northeast wearing a dark hoodie and backpack.

Sophia’s disappearance comes after she moved to the area with her family four months ago. She is due to return to high school in less than two weeks, per Gulf Coast News.

Sophia moved to Philadelphia from Panama, where she lived with her mother, to live with her dad in June 2014, Richard shared in a Facebook post on Saturday, Aug. 8.

Richard wrote in another Facebook post on Friday, Aug. 7, “Sophia, if you see this … I need you to know that I love you more than words could ever explain. There isn’t a single day that goes by that I don’t think about you … Home just isn’t the same without you here.”

“I’m not giving up on you. I’ll keep searching, keep hoping, and keep praying until you’re home safe,” he continued. “…If you’re scared, hurting, or don’t know what to do, please just let someone know you’re okay … I just want to know you’re safe and bring you home where you belong … Please come home. ”

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.