May 22, 2025 • 8 mins
In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: She left behind a burning candle, $300 in cash… and a trail of questions that still haunt Fort Lauderdale. 15-year-old Sophie Reeder vanished in the early hours of May 20, 2017. Surveillance footage captured her last known steps—alone, dressed in black, walking toward the unknown. But what investigators uncovered in her room, on her devices, and through the people she crossed paths with paints a chilling picture of something far darker than anyone imagined. Anyone with information about this case should contact the the Fort Lauderdale Police Department at 954-764-4357 or email SophieTips@FortLauderdale.gov. Her agency case number is 17-080998.
This is the story of Sophie Reeder.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today's case
takes us to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where, in twenty seventeen,
a fifteen year old girl disappeared into the night, leaving
(00:22):
behind a burning candle, some cash, and a trail of
questions no one has been able to answer. This is
the story of Sophie Reader. Before all the theories and
late night searches, Sophie was just a regular teen a daughter,
(00:45):
a niece, and a student.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Who loved to paint, laugh and create.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Born on February nineteenth, two thousand and two, she grew
up in Fort Lauderdale, surrounded by a large, close knit
family who adored her. Her aunt, Kirsten Milhorn, once said, quote,
we have a huge family. So she was loved and
cared for and everything she had an artistic spark, funny, sweet, thoughtful,
(01:16):
and endlessly creative. Sophie loved painting, doing crafts, and bringing
color into every room she walked into. But like so
many teenagers, Sophie faced struggles as she got older. Mood swings, misunderstandings,
just trying to figure out where she.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Fit in the world.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Her parents were divorced in twenty fifteen. Her father was
granted full custody. She was seeing a therapist to help
process her emotions. Sophie had recently also transferred to virtual school.
She spent most of her time at home, taking classes
online through her but she still got around the city
(02:03):
by bus and often hung out near Stranahan High School,
a place she had briefly attended.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Even through all of it.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Those closest to Sophie say her heart never change. May twentieth,
twenty seventeen, Sophie left her father's home some time after midnight.
She lived with him full time following the custody change
two years earlier. That night, she was captured alone on
(02:34):
surveillance footage walking eastbound near the railroad tracks on Davy
Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. The video shows her wearing a
black dress, a leopard print fur coat, light colored headphones,
and Converse sneakers. That was the last confirmed sighting of
(02:56):
Sophie Reader. Inside Sophie's room, the details told a story
that still haunts investigators. A candle still flickered Her backpack
sat untouched with three hundred dollars inside. Her calendar had
one date marked on it, May nineteenth, but.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
There were other items that raised questions.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Alcohol, drugs, and adult style undergarments like garter belts, stockings,
all believed to belong to Sophie, items no one expected
to find in a fifteen year old's bedroom. And then
the biggest clue, her phone was missing. In fact, Sophie
(03:46):
had two phones, neither had been used since that night
she vanished.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
The final ping came from the.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Area of Southwest Eleventh Court, not far from where Sophie
was last seen on surveillance. After that, nothing her phone
either died or was deliberately turned off. Police didn't believe
she ran away, while she had left home once before
(04:16):
for just a single day. Nothing about this disappearance seemed
voluntary to them. Sophie didn't take any clothes, she didn't
leave a note, and she didn't say goodbye. Investigators reviewed
her internet history and phone records as well. What they
(04:38):
found began to spark theories surrounding what could have possibly
happened to Sophie. They discovered that she had been frequenting
sites used for adult relationships and had told a friend
she'd even met up with some of the men. One
man had allegedly paid her four hundred dollars in exchange
(05:01):
for sexual favors. Then came another chilling detail. It was
discovered that on the night Sophie vanished, she had called
a man by the name of Leonard J. Jennings around
three am, just hours after she left home. He lived
in the neighborhood, and police believed she went to his
(05:22):
apartment and stayed until around nine am. She reportedly often
went there to purchase marijuana. Jennings had a long criminal
record that included drug charges and weapons offenses. Authorities looked
into his two brothers as well. They had racked up
a long list of felonies. All of them denied any
(05:45):
involvement in Sophie's disappearance. During the search of jennings apartment
for any clues as to where Sophie could be, authority
seized his electronics, including twenty five cellular phone, three tablets,
and other electronic devices, but no.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Charges were filed.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Sophie's mother, Nicole Twist, believes her daughter was groomed online
and fell into the hands of human traffickers. She believes
social media paired with the right manipulator, has changed everything.
My thoughts and prayers are with Sophie Reader's family and friends.
(06:30):
For her parents, the pain of the uncertainty has only
deepened with time. They still maintain hope that Sophie will
return home one day. The Fort Lauderdale Police now believe
Sophie was likely.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
A victim of trafficking.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
They've offered a twenty five thousand dollar reward for any
information leading to her recovery. Eight years later, the question
still remains what happened to Sophie Reader.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Today, Sophie would.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Be twenty three years old. Anyone with information about the
disappearance of Sophie Reader to contact the Fort Lauderdale Police
Department or email Sophie Tips at Fort Lauderdale dot gov.
You can find that information in the description box below.
As we close out this episode, don't forget to hit
(07:26):
the follow button to stay updated on this case and
others like it.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Be sure to subscribe to.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Hunting for Answers on YouTube and follow us on Instagram
and TikTok for more true crime updates. And if you
enjoyed this episode, leave us a five star rating. Thank
you so much for joining us on another episode until
next time. Hunting for Answers is a production of the
(08:10):
Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black
Effect Podcast Network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today's case
takes us to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where, in twenty seventeen,
a fifteen year old girl disappeared into the night, leaving
(00:22):
behind a burning candle, some cash, and a trail of
questions no one has been able to answer. This is
the story of Sophie Reader. Before all the theories and
late night searches, Sophie was just a regular teen a daughter,
(00:45):
a niece, and a student.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Who loved to paint, laugh and create.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Born on February nineteenth, two thousand and two, she grew
up in Fort Lauderdale, surrounded by a large, close knit
family who adored her. Her aunt, Kirsten Milhorn, once said, quote,
we have a huge family. So she was loved and
cared for and everything she had an artistic spark, funny, sweet, thoughtful,
(01:16):
and endlessly creative. Sophie loved painting, doing crafts, and bringing
color into every room she walked into. But like so
many teenagers, Sophie faced struggles as she got older. Mood swings, misunderstandings,
just trying to figure out where she.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Fit in the world.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Her parents were divorced in twenty fifteen. Her father was
granted full custody. She was seeing a therapist to help
process her emotions. Sophie had recently also transferred to virtual school.
She spent most of her time at home, taking classes
online through her but she still got around the city
(02:03):
by bus and often hung out near Stranahan High School,
a place she had briefly attended.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Even through all of it.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Those closest to Sophie say her heart never change. May twentieth,
twenty seventeen, Sophie left her father's home some time after midnight.
She lived with him full time following the custody change
two years earlier. That night, she was captured alone on
(02:34):
surveillance footage walking eastbound near the railroad tracks on Davy
Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. The video shows her wearing a
black dress, a leopard print fur coat, light colored headphones,
and Converse sneakers. That was the last confirmed sighting of
(02:56):
Sophie Reader. Inside Sophie's room, the details told a story
that still haunts investigators. A candle still flickered Her backpack
sat untouched with three hundred dollars inside. Her calendar had
one date marked on it, May nineteenth, but.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
There were other items that raised questions.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Alcohol, drugs, and adult style undergarments like garter belts, stockings,
all believed to belong to Sophie, items no one expected
to find in a fifteen year old's bedroom. And then
the biggest clue, her phone was missing. In fact, Sophie
(03:46):
had two phones, neither had been used since that night
she vanished.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
The final ping came from the.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Area of Southwest Eleventh Court, not far from where Sophie
was last seen on surveillance. After that, nothing her phone
either died or was deliberately turned off. Police didn't believe
she ran away, while she had left home once before
(04:16):
for just a single day. Nothing about this disappearance seemed
voluntary to them. Sophie didn't take any clothes, she didn't
leave a note, and she didn't say goodbye. Investigators reviewed
her internet history and phone records as well. What they
(04:38):
found began to spark theories surrounding what could have possibly
happened to Sophie. They discovered that she had been frequenting
sites used for adult relationships and had told a friend
she'd even met up with some of the men. One
man had allegedly paid her four hundred dollars in exchange
(05:01):
for sexual favors. Then came another chilling detail. It was
discovered that on the night Sophie vanished, she had called
a man by the name of Leonard J. Jennings around
three am, just hours after she left home. He lived
in the neighborhood, and police believed she went to his
(05:22):
apartment and stayed until around nine am. She reportedly often
went there to purchase marijuana. Jennings had a long criminal
record that included drug charges and weapons offenses. Authorities looked
into his two brothers as well. They had racked up
a long list of felonies. All of them denied any
(05:45):
involvement in Sophie's disappearance. During the search of jennings apartment
for any clues as to where Sophie could be, authority
seized his electronics, including twenty five cellular phone, three tablets,
and other electronic devices, but no.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Charges were filed.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Sophie's mother, Nicole Twist, believes her daughter was groomed online
and fell into the hands of human traffickers. She believes
social media paired with the right manipulator, has changed everything.
My thoughts and prayers are with Sophie Reader's family and friends.
(06:30):
For her parents, the pain of the uncertainty has only
deepened with time. They still maintain hope that Sophie will
return home one day. The Fort Lauderdale Police now believe
Sophie was likely.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
A victim of trafficking.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
They've offered a twenty five thousand dollar reward for any
information leading to her recovery. Eight years later, the question
still remains what happened to Sophie Reader.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Today, Sophie would.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Be twenty three years old. Anyone with information about the
disappearance of Sophie Reader to contact the Fort Lauderdale Police
Department or email Sophie Tips at Fort Lauderdale dot gov.
You can find that information in the description box below.
As we close out this episode, don't forget to hit
(07:26):
the follow button to stay updated on this case and
others like it.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Be sure to subscribe to.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Hunting for Answers on YouTube and follow us on Instagram
and TikTok for more true crime updates. And if you
enjoyed this episode, leave us a five star rating. Thank
you so much for joining us on another episode until
next time. Hunting for Answers is a production of the
(08:10):
Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black
Effect Podcast Network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Host
Hunter Gilmore
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