HESPERIA • Authorities located missing Hesperia teen Jessie Bender early Wednesday morning safe in Apple Valley, and investigators said she may have run away to avoid an arranged marriage in Pakistan. Posted on 03/03/2011 11:29:54 PM PST by Heatseeker
HESPERIA • Authorities located missing Hesperia teen Jessie Bender early Wednesday morning safe in Apple Valley, and investigators said she may have run away to avoid an arranged marriage in Pakistan.
The 13-year-old Cedar Middle School student and her siblings were removed from the Bender family home Wednesday, Cindy Bachman, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, said.
“(A) family member was concealing her in Apple Valley because he was concerned that she would be taken to Pakistan and forced into an arranged marriage,” Bachman said.
According to authorities, the threat was plausible.
In earlier interviews, the girl’s mother, Melissa Bender, said the family was planning an eight-week trip to Pakistan to visit her current husband’s family, but denied that was the motive for her disappearance.
“She didn’t really want to go but she was fine with it,” Melissa Bender told the Daily Press on Tuesday. “I really don’t think the trip played a role in her leaving. She was actually excited to go shopping for the trip. I even asked her friends and they said she wasn’t upset about going so I really don’t think that was the reason.”
However, Bachman said when the family first reported the girl missing they told investigators she ran away because she didn’t want to go on the trip.
“Two days after the initial report was taken, the mother began to give investigators information about a possible Internet predator who was talking to her daughter,” Bachman said. That information turned out to be false. “She may have spoken to people through Facebook on the computer, but there was never an Internet predator.”
When detectives learned of the possibility the teen may have been in the company of a predator, they became concerned and stepped up the investigation, Bachman said.
Several law enforcement agencies — including the FBI, Chicago police and the U.S Marshal’s Service — worked to find the missing girl. It’s unclear if the family will be charged for all of the man hours put into finding the teen or if the case will result in any arrests.
No one was arrested as of late Wednesday afternoon.
“We will be forwarding the case to the District Attorney’s Office and it will be up to them to file charges,” Bachman said.
Officials with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Victorville office said they have not come across a forced marriage case.
Calls to Melissa Bender on Wednesday afternoon were not immediately returned.
Patrick Mitchell, the grandfather of one of Melissa Bender’s children, said he had been concerned for his own granddaughter’s safety when the 11-year-old would spend her court-mandated visitation with Melissa Bender.
“She gets her for one month during the summer and that entire time we were worried she was going to take our granddaughter to Pakistan, too,” Mitchell said.
Authorities could not confirm that Melissa Bender was attempting to take the 11-year-old Nevada girl to Pakistan as well.
When Mitchell learned Jessie’s uncle was hiding the young teen, Mitchell said he was pleased.
“I pat him on the back for taking her,” he said. “I think he’s the hero here and not the bad guy. I hope that something will be done about this.”
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Beatriz E. Valenzuela may be reached at (760) 951-6276 or at BValenzuela@VVDailyPress.com.
The link was posted in another thread about this case. The initial article was different, however.
Homegrown muzzie? She doesn’t look like a pak/arab.
“Homegrown muzzie? She doesn’t look like a pak/arab.”
If you read the story carefully you will notice that the Paki husband is not named as the father of the girl. It sounds like the mother married the Paki already had the girls from a previous marriage. This is pretty typical behavior by “single mothers” or mothers that have remarried. They are very willing to sacrifice the kids from a previous relationship in order to hang on to the current squeeze. In this case it sounds like she was willing to sell them off to her husbands family in order to keep him happy and with her.
Nope...her so-called "mother" is the Sharia whore.
She must be desperate. Unfit to be a mother, though.
I’ve never understood the idea of sacrifing kids for the sake of a relationship.
The mother should understand that if this guy is willing to sacrifice the daughter for the sake of some desert custlom, he will sacrifice her for the same custom.
Ah, yes. Muslim convert. Child trafficker. Needs major jailtime and deportation. Send her to some Paki dunghole.
Taking bets there will be NONE!
PC has reared its usual ugly head and we must not offend the Moozies, thus they will skate.
Can anyone say "Scooter Libby?"
She should be jailed or deported
Add to that as well; 'Liberal madness'; and it's reason-vacant consequences. . .
I found it rather interesting to see which media outlets published the picture and which didn’t.
Hey, it's win, win! She gets the little brat out of her hair and probably gets a "dowry" to boot. (I know, a dowry is supposed to go the other way.)
I don't know about you, but this is the life I've always wanted for my daughter.
Now the girl has to worry about honor killing.
I continue to be amazed at the utter stupidity of Western women who involve themselves with muslim knuckledraggers. Did she not have any idea that her daughter would be targeted like that?
Inter-species mating is always a bad idea. Human women should avoid those mohammedan simians at all costs.
Very good point. Where are the N.O.W. whores? (stupid question, I know...)
I bet some sick Arab somewhere in the Middle East was all like “Whoa, I’m going to get lucky...with her?”
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