What is the 'Stand with Sophie' viral video that’s trending?
A VIDEO is trending depicting a young girl from Texas named Sophie who alleges that her stepfather is abusing her.
The heartbreaking clip sees Sophie screaming and alleging abuse against her mom's new fiancé.
A social media campaign named Stand with Sophie has been started as a result of the footage.
What is the stand with Sophie video?
A video, that has gone viral on social media, shows a little girl named Sophie that alleges that she has suffered abuse at the hands of her stepfather in her mother's home.
Speaking to her grandmother in the video, Sophie refuses to leave a car she's sat in during a custody exchange.
It then went viral, inspiring social media campaign Stand with Sophie.
What's happening with Sophie's parents?
Nine-year-old Sophie, from Texas, is at the center of a bitter custody battle between her 41-year-old dad and her 34-year-old mom.
Sophie's dad and mom got divorced in July 2015 – but their acrimonious split has dragged on for five years.
Custody was initially evenly split between the two.
However, eventually, a judge awarded custody to the mom, who took the children to live more than 200 miles away from their father.
Court documents have noted that both parents have a history of calling Child Protective Services to make complaints about the other.
It also said none of the previous complaints to CPS have been substantiated, including the allegations of domestic violence.
How does she communicate with her biological father?
Court documents have revealed Sophie's biological father communicates with his daughter through coded letters.
The notes are part of a cache of court documents, which also allege Sophie said she'd been touched by her mother's fiancé.
The dad and daughter referred to her mom's fiancé as "Mr Jake."
Sophie detailed the code words in a key alongside one of her letters.
She used "daisies" or "dandelions" for danger, and "pens" to mean there was fighting at home, The Daily Mail reports.
In one exchange, Sophie said he had taken away her iPad for a week because "I wouldn't stop crying."
Another spoke of her mother's anger over the dad recording a conversation between them and says "Mr. Jake" had told the children their father was brainwashing them.
Is Sophie safe?
Police have launched an investigation into the allegations.
The Frisco Police Department also posted the following statement regarding the case:
"While the Frisco Police Department will not usually offer further comment on cases that are this sensitive in nature, we would like the public to know that the child, in this case, is safe and staying at a safe location," they wrote.
The statement also addressed the "false information" circulating on social media.
"For example, posts claiming that the alleged offender is a police officer with our department are FALSE, as the individual has never had any professional affiliation with the Frisco Police Department."
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