A Marine who was taken into custody last month after a missing teen girl was found in the barracks at a California Marine Corps base has since been released to his command.
The unnamed Marine, who is with Combat Logistics Battalion 5, 1st Marine Logistics Group, was taken into custody for questioning involving Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS) after a 14-year-old girl was found in the barracks on June 28, 2023.
The teen girl was found in the barracks of Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base two weeks after her grandmother in San Diego reported that she had run away from home.
The Marine has since been released to his command while federal law enforcement officials investigate, said Marine Capt. Charles Palmer of the 1st Marine Logistics Group.
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The entrance to Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton is seen on Sept. 22, 2015, in Oceanside, California. A Marine was questioned and released back to his command after a missing 14-year-old girl was found in the barracks on the base. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
It was unclear how or if the girl and the Marine came into contact before military police found her in the barracks.
According to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, her grandmother reported her missing on June 13 and told authorities she had run away from home four days earlier.
The grandmother told the deputy who interviewed her that the girl had run away before but only for brief periods.
A Camp Pendleton sign. It’s unclear if the girl and the Marine who was detained have any connection. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is looking into what happened. (Getty Images)
The teen’s information was entered into multiple missing person databases, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the sheriff’s department said.
After she was found on base, authorities returned the girl to her grandmother, according to the sheriff’s department.
Military officials say they could not release any other details, including the age or rank of the Marine. The case has been handed over to NCIS, the federal agency in charge of investigating Navy and Marine Corps criminal cases.
NCIS spokesman Jeff Houston said no one has been arrested or charged in the case. He said the Marine was detained for questioning and released back to his command. The sheriff’s department and the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force are assisting in the investigation.
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Camp Pendleton is about 40 miles north of San Diego.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
