A marine was arrested last month after a 14-year-old girl was found in barracks at a base camp in California, authorities said.
Military police at Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps base in Oceanside, Calif., found the teenager June 28, just over two weeks after his grandmother reported him missing to the San County Sheriff’s Department. Diego, according to Melissa Aquino, media relations officer. the sheriff’s department.
Capt. Charles Palmer, director of communications strategy and operations for 1st Marine Logistics Group, confirmed in a statement that an “unidentified Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 5, 1st Marine Logistics Group was detained for questioning by Naval Criminal Investigative Services”. law enforcement agency of the Navy and the Marine Corps, on June 28.
Police arrested a Marine on June 28, 2023, at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, Calif., in connection with a teenager who had been missing for 18 days.@notinregz via Instagram
Palmer added that the Marine was taken into custody and remains in the custody of his command, and that he has not yet been formally charged.
“This command takes this matter and all allegations very seriously,” Palmer added.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force are also “supporting NCIS with the investigation,” said the sheriff’s office’s Aquino.
Representatives for the California attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to inquiries Sunday morning about the involvement of the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force in the investigation.
The news was first reported by San Diego NBC station KNSD.
According to the sheriff’s department’s Aquino, the girl’s grandmother reported her missing on June 13 and said she had run away from home four days earlier. The grandmother also said the girl had run away before but always returned home quickly, Aquino said.
Authorities entered the girl’s information into missing person databases, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to information from the sheriff’s office.
The teenager was later returned to his grandmother, according to Aquino, who added that detectives interviewed the teenager and that the family was “provided services.” The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a follow-up question seeking more details about what kind of services were being offered to the family.
The girl has not been publicly identified. A statement from the sheriff’s office said the department does not release identifying information about victims who are minors.
NCIS spokesman Jeff Houston said in a statement: “Out of respect for the investigative process, NCIS does not comment on, confirm details related to, or confirm the existence of ongoing investigations.”
Lt. David LaDieu, director of media relations for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, said in a statement that NCIS is handling the investigation and that “the only involvement we have had is the recovery of the minor , as she was out of our jurisdiction.”
The Teen Line offers peer support from trained teens who are available every evening for calls and texts. Call 310-855-HOPE (4673) or toll-free 800-TLC-TEEN from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM ET, or text TEEN to 839863 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM ET. Teen Line also responds emails and has a message board.
National human trafficking hotline can be reached toll free 24 hours a day at 1-888-373-7888. Support is available in over 200 languages. The hotline can also be contacted by texting BEFREE to 233733. Authorities are asking those who suspect human trafficking to also contact local police.
