The father of missing Florida teenager Sophia Cover says he fears his 16-year-old daughter may have been persuaded or coerced into leaving their home before she disappeared in the early hours of July 31.

Richard Cover, 54, said Sophia was last seen on the family’s home surveillance cameras at around 12:45 a.m. She left the house carrying a bag containing clothes, a pair of Nike sneakers and a hair straightener.

According to her father, there had been no obvious signs that anything was wrong before she disappeared.

Cover said he believes someone may have convinced Sophia to leave under false pretenses, although he acknowledged that he does not know exactly what happened to his daughter.

“I think someone has my daughter,” he said.

The family did not immediately realize Sophia was gone. Around 6:15 a.m., Cover said he heard her 14-month-old dog crying inside her bedroom.

After knocking several times without receiving an answer, he discovered that the bedroom door was locked. He then realized Sophia was missing.

Cover and his girlfriend checked their home security footage and saw Sophia leaving during the night with her belongings.

Her phone was also no longer reachable, going directly to voicemail, while her location-sharing feature had been disabled.

For Cover, the circumstances have made the disappearance especially difficult to understand.

He said the family had moved back to Florida about five months earlier and that Sophia had been happy about living there. She was also looking forward to returning to high school in less than two weeks.

Her father said he has no reason to believe she left because she was unhappy at home or did not want to return to school.

“There’s no issue with her not wanting to be here,” Cover said. “She was excited about going back to school.”

Authorities in Collier County are investigating Sophia’s disappearance, with multiple agencies reportedly involved in the search.

Meanwhile, her family has been working to spread her information throughout the community and online in hopes that someone may have seen her or have information about where she could be.

As the search continues, Cover is urging anyone who may know something about Sophia’s whereabouts to come forward.

For her family, every passing hour brings more uncertainty. They are holding onto hope that Sophia can be found safely and returned home.