Marine Released From Custody After Missing 14-Year-Old Girl Found At Camp Pendleton
A U.S. Marine has been released from custody after being questioned about a missing 14-year-old girl discovered in the Oceanside, California, barracks of Camp Pendleton, the Marine Corps said Monday.
The news comes after the Marine was detained late last month when the minor was found at the base. Neither the girl nor the Marine has been named.
Investigators believe that the teen had run away from the home of her grandmother, who reported her missing June 13. After her discovery on June 28, she was returned to her grandmother’s care.
The Marine, who serves with the Combat Logistics Battalion 5, 1st Marine Logistics Group, was released back to his command without charges, according to Jeff Houston, the division chief of media and congressional affairs with Naval Criminal Investigative Services.
But Capt. Charles Palmer, the director of communications strategy and operations for the 1st Marine Logistics Group, said that the case is “pending further investigation.”
“This command takes this matter and all allegations very seriously,” Palmer said. “The incident is under investigation, and we will continue to cooperate with NCIS and appropriate authorities.”
Camp Pendleton.
While details surrounding the girl’s disappearance remain sparse, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said that she had run away in the past but “always returned home quickly.”
The teen was added to several missing person databases after disappearing, including that of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force is currently assisting NCIS in the investigation.
It remains unclear how long the girl had been at the Marine Corps base. An aunt named Casaundra Perez, however, made shockingallegations last week about the nature of her disappearance.
The woman said on TikTok that her niece has learning disabilities and alleged that the girl was “sold to a soldier for sex.” She accused the military of “trying to cover it up” and “place majority of the blame on her.”
“Our family is worried about retaliation from the military and the man that has trafficked my niece,” added Perez, whose claims remain unconfirmed. “We believe they could be working together and covering this up, and that the military is only trying to protect their property.”
In 2019, a number of Marines were arrested at Camp Pendleton on human smuggling and drug-related charges. The arrests were ruled unlawful later that year, and the charges were largely dropped. Two dozen Marines were discharged over the case.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website. If you’re a teenager who has run away from home or a teenager who is thinking of running from home, or if you know somebody who is, visit the National Runaway Switchboard or call 1-800-RUNAWAY.
