A 12-year-old British schoolgirl who ran away to France with a former US Marine she met on theInternet is safe and well, British police announced this afternoon.
A police spokesman in Manchester said Shevaun Pennington wasnow in Britain.
Earlier, Mr Toby Studabaker, the former US Marine who disappeared with 12-year-old British schoolgirl Shevaun Pennington, was arrested in Germany.
Greater Manchester Police said Mr Studabaker was detained in Frankfurt.
A police spokesman said: "Greater Manchester Police, with the support of the German authorities and the FBI, have arrested Toby Studabaker in Frankfurt, Germany."
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CCTV image of former US Marine
Toby Studabaker arriving at Manchester Airport on the morning of Saturday July 12th |
Earlier, investigating police appealed to Shevaun to hand herself in. Shevaun was last seen on Saturday morning when she left home to meet 31-year-old Mr Studabaker at Manchester Airport.
They then flew to Paris, where they arrived at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Police had had no sightings of the pair since then.
Officers confirmed today that the schoolgirl made a brief call to her mother last night, reassuring her that she was safe.
In the phone call, which was made between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. yesterday and lasted just a few minutes, Shevaun confirmed that she was well but made no mention of coming home. She referred to Mr Studabaker and confirmed they were still together, police said.
Police released CCTV footage of Mr Studabaker as he walked alone through Manchester Airport on Saturday morning.
In it, the 31-year-old can be seen with a mop of hair, wearing a black T-shirt and pulling a small piece of hand luggage. The dark T-shirt appeared to have the initials "GBH" on the front. His short dark hair contrasted to previous photographs of him with a shaved head. PA