US marine contacts brother over missing schoolgirl

Schoolgirl Shevaun Pennington, who ran away with a former US Marine she met through an Internet chatroom, is "fine" and "unharmed…

Schoolgirl Shevaun Pennington, who ran away with a former US Marine she met through an Internet chatroom, is "fine" and "unharmed", the ex-soldier's family claim.

Toby Studabaker, 31, was "deceived" into meeting the 12-year-old and was "very mad" when he found out that she had lied about her age, his brother, Leo Studabaker, said.

Leo's wife Sherry, who said she had spoken with Toby on the telephone today, told BBC News 24: "She (Shevaun) is fine, she is not hurt, she is unharmed." Speaking from the couple's home in Michigan, Sherry continued: "She told him she was 19 and she was in college ... and he is not happy because she lied. She lied about her age."

Toby did not give her any indication whether Shevaun was still with him or where he was phoning from, she added.

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"They are not giving any indication of where they are at this time. The FBI will be the one to know where he is located," she said.

Leo said his brother had insisted he had never touched Shevaun, and was in possession of a signed letter from the schoolgirl which confirmed that.

"From what I understand Shevaun had written a letter and signed it for him to give to the authorities clearing him of any wrongdoing. He gave no indication of when he had last seen her or where she had gone.I imagine she's on her way back to England," he said.

The missing former Marine was set to give all the information to the FBI, Leo added.

A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said that officers were now liaising with colleagues in the FBI about the new reports. Police also confirmed that Shevaun was not the "S. Pennington" who flew as part of a group on an easyJet plane from Paris to Liverpool late on Saturday night.

Studabaker is believed to have met up with Shevaun on Saturday after flying into the UK, via Holland, the previous day.