A 14-year-old girl who ran away from her grandmother’s Spring Valley area home on June 9 was found last week inside the barracks at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) confirmed. The teen’s disappearance was reported to the Sheriff’s Department four days later by her grandmother.
“The grandmother reported to deputies that the teen had previously run away before, but always returned home quickly,” Melissa Aquino, SDSO’s media relations officer noted.
The girl, who has learning disabilities, was found in the barracks June 28 by military police, according to her aunt Casaundra Perez. Perez claims her niece was sold to a Marine for sex.
SDSO spokesperson Lt. David LaDieu told NBC 7 that the only involvement their department had was recovering the juvenile because she was listed as missing from their jurisdiction. However, Aquino confirmed SDSO was supporting the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) with their investigation, along with the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force.
A photo shared publicly on social media on July 2 showed a handcuffed Marine being escorted by military police on base on June 28. Captain Chuck Palmer of Camp Pendleton-based 1st Marine Logistics Group confirmed a Marine was taken into custody and questioned by NCIS about his involvement with the girl that day.
Hellbound and Down 