Documents: Missing Marine claimed officer raped her
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- A pregnant Marine who vanished last month before she was to testify in a military probe had claimed that a superior officer raped her and that the investigation had "gone sour," according to court documents.
The woman complained about the investigation to her stepmother, who also told authorities that the 20-year-old lance corporal had bipolar disorder, once known as manic-depression, and a history of lying, the documents say.
Authorities said Thursday that they plan to question the Camp Lejeune officer she accused of rape, as well as a roommate of hers who was ordered to return to the base from a training mission. They stressed the case remains a missing-person investigation.
"If (she) is listening and gets this, I want her to know that sometimes people do things. If they could turn the clock back they wouldn't do them the way they've done them," Sheriff Ed Brown said. "Regardless of the circumstances, this has got to stop."
The woman, originally from Dayton, Ohio, was reported missing Dec. 19 by her stepmother, who last spoke with her daughter on Dec. 14, authorities said. Her cell phone was found Dec. 20 near the main gate at Camp Lejeune, and she missed a prenatal care appointment on Dec. 26.
According to court papers, a man tried to use the missing woman's ATM card on Christmas Eve and attempted to cover the machine's security camera with a rag. Brown would not where the card was used.
Sheriff's investigators said in the court documents that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was investigating the sexual assault allegations and had confirmed the woman's history of lying.
According to the documents, NCIS investigators were struggling to investigate the woman's allegations because of inconsistencies in her account. Still, the court papers said the anticipated birth of the baby "might provide evidentiary credence to charges she lodged with military authorities that she was sexually assaulted by a senior military person."
The woman is due to give birth in mid-February.
The sheriff declined to comment on the rape allegations, as did Camp Lejeune officials.
The Associated Press had identified the missing Marine before the rape allegations became public. The AP generally does not identify people who say they are victims of a sex crime.
The stepmother also said the officer who was accused of rape threatened the missing woman's career. The court documents say the woman was facing a possible discharge from the Marine Corps. No reason was provided.
The sheriff said the roommate, Marine Sgt. Daniel Durham, is not a suspect, but "we do feel like he has answers and importance in being back here."
The missing woman is assigned to the 2nd Marine Logistics Group of the II Marine Expeditionary Force. She joined the Marine Corps in June 2006, trained as a personnel clerk and has not been sent to either Iraq or Afghanistan, officials said.
"I'm sure it's stressful, especially when you're trying to juggle everyone's problems, not just your own," said Melinda Artzer Allen, 23, a former Marine and a friend of the missing woman. "She's had stuff going on, but she's strong. She doesn't seem like the kind of person that would just get up and leave."