On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, the ninth anniversary of her disappearance, the family of Sophie Reeder announced a new nonprofit called Sophie's Light. The organization is designed to teach young people how to spot and avoid online predators, even as relatives and Fort Lauderdale investigators continue to press for answers about what happened to the 15-year-old in 2017.
Kirsten Reeder Milhorn, Sophie’s aunt, launched Sophie's Light and said the group will focus on protecting children in digital spaces through trafficking awareness, education and school-based prevention, as reported by NBC News. The family frames the effort as a direct response to gaps they say Sophie's case exposed around online grooming and youth vulnerability.
Where Sophie was last seen
Sophie Reeder was 15 when she vanished, and surveillance footage shows her walking along Davie Boulevard in the early morning hours of May 20, 2017. According to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, investigators maintain a public case page with surveillance and other materials. CBS Miami reported that officers found a single candle still burning in her bedroom and about $300 in cash in a bag.
Online contacts under investigation
Investigators who reviewed Sophie's phones and accounts say she and a friend exchanged Instagram messages about prices for sex acts and that she had visited websites often used to arrange paid encounters, Sergeant Don Geiger told Dateline's "Missing in America" podcast, according to Dateline. Dateline also reported that detectives identified an individual who may have had connections to sex trafficking, although authorities say they could not prove that person was directly tied to Sophie’s disappearance.
Family turns grief into prevention work
“I want to develop an online-safety curriculum to be embedded into the school system,” Milhorn told Dateline. The family says the foundation will prioritize trafficking awareness for students and training for school staff so educators can better spot grooming signals and risky online behavior. Dateline carries the family's account of the launch and its goals.
Reward and how to help
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department and community partners are offering up to $25,000 for credible information that leads to Sophie’s recovery or an arrest, and anyone with tips is asked to call 954-828-6677 or email [email protected]. The department's case page and local reporting have repeatedly shared the reward and contact details for anyone who recognizes people or places in the surveillance images, according to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
Where the investigation stands
Police executed a search warrant weeks after Sophie vanished and seized dozens of phones and computers, but no arrests have been made and detectives say they lack sufficient evidence to charge anyone in her disappearance, local outlets report. The family says Sophie's Light is meant to be both a memorial and a practical response to the online vulnerabilities they believe contributed to Sophie’s vanishing. Local 10 has tracked the investigation and published case details.
