The family of a United States Marine is still frantically looking for their son, who disappeared without warning more than a week ago.
23-year-old Bailey Cameron is stationed at California’s Camp Pendleton. He was reported missing on August 25, not long after he was spotted exiting the Carlsbad Coyote Bar & Grill. The sighting was at 1:30 in the morning, and he was not dressed in uniform.
The Marine’s glasses, phone, and backpack were recovered by his parents the following morning. They were lying on the curb about one block from where Cameron was last seen. According to the young man’s father, Kevin, he was also seen at another business near the bar. He was reportedly still wearing the same civilian outfit.
Kevin said that while there was a photo circulating that was said to be taken after he was reported missing, “there’s been no contact” between Cameron or his “buddies or family.” The father also noted that it remains unclear if his son is “under duress” or if he is “100 percent or not.”
Cameron was reportedly behaving abnormally the night he vanished, causing concern among friends and family. His father expressed that he is imagining “hundreds of scenarios” about what might have happened to his son, adding that he does not “care what the situation is” but just “need[s] him back.”
As of Monday September 2, both parents were “very concerned” for Cameron’s safety and noted that they are “relying heavily” on the help of professionals working to find him. The 190-pound, six-foot-one-inch-tall man was last seen dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. He has brown hair and green eyes.
The Marine Corps as well as Cameron’s family are in touch with the Crimes of Violence Unit of the Carlsbad Police Department, which addresses every missing person case involving an adult.
The law enforcement agency told local media that investigators are “actively” pursuing “all potential leads” about where Cameron may be located now, including the review of surveillance video footage, “ongoing communications” with his friends and family, and checking in with the Marine Corps, should they have any updates on the missing man’s whereabouts.
Nearby hospitals as well as the Naval Criminal Investigative Service have also been notified about Cameron’s disappearance, according to Camp Pendleton’s Captain James Sartain. The military law enforcement agency is also investigating the situation.
Since August 25, glimpses of the missing Marine have been reported, though they remain unconfirmed. Cameron’s family shared that one fellow Marine is said to have seen him on August 31, slightly before noon. This witness described him as rushing towards the beach with a distressed demeanor.
Juliette England, Cameron’s mother, said that this “gentleman” who said he had seen her son reported him as appearing “so afraid” and “so distressed.” She added that she simply “need[s] to know that he’s OK” and that his family only desires him to make it “across the finish line.”
Cameron is still active duty in the Marines but was preparing to leave the military on September 9.
