15/07/2003

Hunt for missing girl and US Marine moves to France

Police officers will travel to France later today in an attempt to trace a 12-year-old girl who is thought to have left the country on Saturday evening with a former US Marine.

Shevaun Pennington, who is from Leigh in Cumbria, has not been seen since she left her home in Abbey Road in Lowton at 7.30am on July 12.

Police have established that she took a flight to Paris with the 31-year-old former US soldier whom she met over the internet.

Toby Studabaker, who is originally from a town called Three Rivers in Michigan, flew to Manchester Airport on Saturday morning – via Schipol in Amsterdam. He was discharged from the Marine Corps on June 30.

Both Toby and Shevaun are believed to have taken a flight from Manchester Airport to Heathrow on Saturday evening, before arriving in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport at 8pm on Saturday.

It has been reported that the pair have been in contact over the internet for more than a year.

Greater Manchester Police officers have been working closely with the US authorities and Interpol, as well as French police to try and trace the pair. However, French authorities have voiced their doubts that the pair were still in the country.

Anyone who can help trace Toby and Shevaun is asked to contact the incident room on 0161 856 7275 or 856 7256.

(GMcG)

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