Family Of 14-Year-Old Native American Girl Claim Marines Attempting Coverup

The relatives of a 14-year-old girl, who had been missing and was later found at the Camp Pendleton barracks, alleged a ‘cover-up’ by the Marines. They claim that the Marines are attempting to ‘shape the narrative’, even though no arrests have been made in relation to the case, according to investigators.

Cassaundra Perez voiced her concerns to NBC 7, expressing her belief that the investigators at the California base are concealing the truth. She urges fellow Marines to break their silence.

The teenage girl in question, Perez’s niece, was located on the base on June 28, having initially been reported missing on June 13. Perez had previously asserted that her learning-disabled niece had been sold to the Marine for sex.

“The grandmother told the deputy her granddaughter ran away from home on Friday, June 9,” San Diego Sheriff’s Department media relations director David LaDieu said in an email to Law & Crime in their reporting. “The grandmother says the granddaughter had previously run away before, but always returned home quickly.”

A man appears to be being led in handcuffs to a police car in video uploaded to Instagram by an account that allegedly broadcasts content from military soldiers.

“A Marine with clb 5 got arrested for having s3x with a minor in the barracks,” the post says, followed by a “throwing up” emoji. “Duty log book reads! 13 year old Female minor found in room 343. Duty notifies barracks manger. Pmo is called to check it out[.] Nci agent shows up and so on.” The video and logbook claims have not been authenticated.

According to Law & Crime, no charges have been filed, per an e-mail from an NCIS spokeswoman to L&C.

A number of videos regarding the alleged incident have been shared on TikTok by Cassaundra Perez, who claims to be the girl’s aunt.

“She had been sold to a soldier for sex,” Perez says in the video posted Thursday. “The military is trying to cover it up.”

In a video shared on by Perez, she expressed gratitude towards the alleged service member who disclosed the logbook pages. She highlighted the fact that the teenager is Native American and requested recommendations for attorneys experienced in representing indigenous clients. Once again, she accused the military of attempting to “conceal” the particulars of the case, although she didn’t offer any specific details.

“This story needs to be impossible to bury,” she said, urging people to share the videos. “I will not rest until the whole world knows and those responsible are held accountable and justice is served,” she added.

Perez also said the girl’s learning disabilities “are not severe enough to warrant 24-hour watch.” Following the girl’s discovery at the base, the teenager has reportedly been interviewed by sheriff’s deputies and returned to her grandmother.

LaDieu, according to Law & Crime said the girl’s information was “entered into multiple missing person databases, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC),” shortly after she was reported missing by her grandmother. “Family Protection Detail Detectives received the case for follow-up investigation and continued working the case by following up on potential leads.”

According to LaDieu, the Naval Criminal Investigative Services, or NCIS, is leading the investigation with assistance from the San Diego Sheriff’s Department and the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force.

Law & Crime said that representatives for Camp Pendleton have not responded to requests for comment.