Missing Teen Girl Found at Marine Corps Base Was ’Sold to a Service Member for Sex’: Family

The 14-year-old girl who was recently found inside the barracks at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton was "sold" for sex, according to a woman who claims to be the victim's aunt.

"They're trying to cover it up and place the majority of the blame on her," Cassandra Perez said in a now-viral TikTok video post last week. "However, the reality is the whole facility allowed this to happen."

"Our family is worried about retaliation from the military and the man that has trafficked my niece," she added.

The teenager's grandmother reported her missing on June 13, days after she disappeared. The grandmother said the teen had run away several times in the past but had always returned home soon after.

A Marine was interviewed in connection to the case, but he has since been released back to his unit. No charges have been filed so far, but the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force is among the entities investigating the case, according to USA Today.

Perez said that her niece, who has not been publicly identified, has learning disabilities. She has since been returned to the care of her grandmother and has been interviewed by investigators.

Perez suggested her niece may have been sold for sex as part of a trafficking ring at the base. She also questioned how her niece was allowed inside the heavily-monitored facility, where guests are required to show authorization before entering.

It remains unclear how the girl and Marine first met and whether other soldiers in the barracks' tight living quarters may have known that the teen was there.

Perez said she plans to reveal the identity of the military detective assigned to the case, who she claims is "trying to cover this up," but that she was first seeking approval from the family's lawyers.

In 2019, 16 Marines were arrested at Camp Pendleton on drug and trafficking charges, including some tied to smuggling migrants across the border.