A psychic who contacted Fort Lauderdale Police with a general offer of her services has been paid by the police department to consult in the disappearance of Sophie Reeder.
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Sophie Reeder, 15, left her home in the 1300 block of Citrus Isle on the night of May 19, 2017, wearing a brown fur coat and a pair of Beats by Dre headphones over her head. She never returned home.
Phone records showed the girl went to the home of a 37-year-old felon that night, and her phone remained at the address until 9 a.m. the next day, when the cellphone went dark, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported in its 2022 Innocence Sold investigative series about child sex trafficking that featured Sophie’s story.
In the investigation, the Sun Sentinel reported that there was strong evidence Sophie became a victim of child sex trafficking. While no one knows what exactly happened to the girl, the Sun Sentinel reported that Sophie’s online activity made it evident she had fallen into the world of commercial sexual exploitation.
The Miami Herald was first to report on Friday that the police department is working with “psychic profiler and medium” Alejandra Taborn on Sophie’s case. Taborn was paid a $1,500 fee for a 90-day consultancy.
Innocence Sold: ‘Kidnapping, human trafficking, murder.’ What happened to missing teen Sophie Reeder?
Investigators met with Taborn recently and “are actively evaluating the information provided and determining if there’s anything that may assist the investigation,” police department spokesperson Casey Liening said in an emailed statement shared with the Sun Sentinel. “Due to the ongoing and sensitive nature of this case, we are unable to discuss the details of that conversation at this time.”
While Fort Lauderdale Police previously used a psychic in Sophie’s case, the department has not worked with Taborn before on any case, Liening said.
“She reached out to offer her assistance in general and we requested assistance on Sophie‘s case specifically,” Liening said.
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In 2025, a psychic contacted the police department about Sophie’s case and shared information with detectives at no cost, Liening said. The information led detectives to conduct “an extensive search” in a canal and areas around it, but it generated no leads or results.
Sophie’s father, Patrick Reeder, told the Sun Sentinel on Friday that within a year of his daughter’s disappearance he met with a psychic in Boca Raton.
“I never really got anywhere with that,” he said. “But it’s great, maybe they have a better psychic …”
Sophie’s aunt Kirsten Reeder Milhorn in a text message on Friday night said: “9 years is a long time to wait for answers and appreciate the effort and different perspective. We are willing to listen but would prefer these funds be allocated toward investigative work. We hope that every lead is thoroughly investigated and Sophie’s case continues to get the attention that she deserves.”
Taborn declined to speak with the Sun Sentinel when reached by phone on Friday.
Florida is no stranger to the use of psychics in high-profile investigations, a authored by William J. Smithey and published through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows.
Before Ted Bundy’s name was known, Florida State University Police received numerous tips from psychics early in the investigation of the Chi Omega House Attacks in 1978, according to an interview with a former FSU Police investigator published in the research paper. None of the tips held any substantial information.
Orlando Police were flooded with tips, including from psychics, about the disappearances of Jennifer Kesse in 2006 and Michelle Parker in 2011, the research paper said. All tips provided by psychics weren’t specific enough to investigate further, according to a former Orlando homicide detective who was interviewed as part of the study.
A reward of up to $25,000 is still being offered for credible information that leads to the recovery of Sophie Reeder.
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