thedrifter
07-14-03, 01:10 PM
Missing 12 year old girl flew to France with former Marine
Press Association
Monday July 14, 2003
A 12-year-old girl who has been missing since the weekend has flown to France with a 31-year-old former US marine, police said today.
Shevaun Pennington, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, was reported missing by her parents, who said that she had not been seen since Saturday morning.
Interpol was contacted and an all-ports warning issued by police after officers found that she had taken clothes and her passport.
A police spokeswoman today confirmed that the schoolgirl had met up with former US marine Toby Studebaker, who is originally from Michigan, and had flown to France on Saturday.
Mr Studebaker, who left the military last week, had flown to Manchester from Detroit before meeting up with the girl, to whom he had been writing for around a year after they met over the internet.
The pair then flew to Heathrow on Saturday afternoon before continuing their journey to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, where they arrived around 8pm, a spokeswoman said.
Earlier, Shevaun's parents, Stephen, 43, and Joanna, 42, pleaded with their daughter to come home or let them know that she is safe.
Speaking at a news conference, Mrs Pennington said: "You are not in any trouble whatsoever." She added: "We just want her back, that's all."
Supt Peter Mason said it had been an arranged meeting between Shevaun and Mr Studebaker.
He told the ITV News channel: "We are now aware that this was pre-planned and all the flights were pre-booked. My concern is for the health and welfare of Shevaun."
Mr Mason added that there was no suggestion Mr Studebaker had been aware of Shevaun's age before they met on Saturday.
However, after meeting up with her, it would have been "obvious", he said.
The detective said that he was liaising with the National Criminal Intelligence Service and Interpol in an attempt to establish where the pair are now.
Despite a Sky News report stating that the US marines had never heard of Mr Studebaker, a Greater Manchester police spokeswoman said that, as far as officers were aware, "he has worked for the US marine corps".
The spokeswoman said that a police inspector had spoken to Mr Studebaker's commanding officer, and confirmed that he had been in the military.
Shevaun is white, 5ft 6in tall, of stocky build, and has shoulder-length blonde hair and blue-grey eyes. She was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and baggy black trousers.
Mr Studebaker is white, 5ft 9in tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. He is of a heavy build.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,998123,00.html
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
Press Association
Monday July 14, 2003
A 12-year-old girl who has been missing since the weekend has flown to France with a 31-year-old former US marine, police said today.
Shevaun Pennington, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, was reported missing by her parents, who said that she had not been seen since Saturday morning.
Interpol was contacted and an all-ports warning issued by police after officers found that she had taken clothes and her passport.
A police spokeswoman today confirmed that the schoolgirl had met up with former US marine Toby Studebaker, who is originally from Michigan, and had flown to France on Saturday.
Mr Studebaker, who left the military last week, had flown to Manchester from Detroit before meeting up with the girl, to whom he had been writing for around a year after they met over the internet.
The pair then flew to Heathrow on Saturday afternoon before continuing their journey to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, where they arrived around 8pm, a spokeswoman said.
Earlier, Shevaun's parents, Stephen, 43, and Joanna, 42, pleaded with their daughter to come home or let them know that she is safe.
Speaking at a news conference, Mrs Pennington said: "You are not in any trouble whatsoever." She added: "We just want her back, that's all."
Supt Peter Mason said it had been an arranged meeting between Shevaun and Mr Studebaker.
He told the ITV News channel: "We are now aware that this was pre-planned and all the flights were pre-booked. My concern is for the health and welfare of Shevaun."
Mr Mason added that there was no suggestion Mr Studebaker had been aware of Shevaun's age before they met on Saturday.
However, after meeting up with her, it would have been "obvious", he said.
The detective said that he was liaising with the National Criminal Intelligence Service and Interpol in an attempt to establish where the pair are now.
Despite a Sky News report stating that the US marines had never heard of Mr Studebaker, a Greater Manchester police spokeswoman said that, as far as officers were aware, "he has worked for the US marine corps".
The spokeswoman said that a police inspector had spoken to Mr Studebaker's commanding officer, and confirmed that he had been in the military.
Shevaun is white, 5ft 6in tall, of stocky build, and has shoulder-length blonde hair and blue-grey eyes. She was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and baggy black trousers.
Mr Studebaker is white, 5ft 9in tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. He is of a heavy build.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,998123,00.html
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: