CARLSBAD — Law enforcement and U.S. Marine Corps officials say they are scaling back their search for a Marine reported missing from Camp Pendleton last week, stating he is believed to be on the base and does not appear to be in danger.
However, representatives for the 23-year-old’s family say he has still not been located and they remain concerned for his safety.
Lance Cpl. Bailey Cameron was set to end his five-year service in the Marines on Sept. 9. His family reported that he was last seen by a fellow Marine on Aug. 31 on the Camp Pendleton base and was in “clear distress,” and has not been seen or heard from since.
Prior to Sept. 2, law enforcement reported that Cameron was last seen around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 25, leaving the Coyote Bar & Grill on Carlsbad Village Drive.
The Carlsbad Police Department and the Marine Corps confirmed they have received information indicating that Cameron may still be on base. However, Carlsbad Police said Sept. 4 they are stepping back from the investigation due to a lack of evidence that he is in any danger.
“Investigators attempted to contact him after being observed on Camp Pendleton, and he avoided them,” Carlsbad Police spokesperson Denise Ramirez said. “After thorough investigation and close coordination with the Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division (CID), there is no evidence to suggest foul play in Cameron’s disappearance, or that he is in danger or duress.”
The Marine Corps CID also put out a statement on Sept. 4, stating that they are no longer considering him a “missing person.”
“Recent activities connected to Lance Corporal Bailey Cameron indicate he has been on the installation; therefore, he is no longer considered a missing person, but base officials continue attempts to locate and contact Lance Corporal Bailey Cameron and are actively working with his parents to encourage him to return to his unit in accordance with his official service obligations,” said Capt. James C. Sartain, Operations Officer at Camp Pendleton.

Cameron’s family members have been working closely with The RAD Movement, a nonprofit that provides support to families of missing persons. Just hours after Camp Pendleton and Carlsbad Police said Cameron was no longer missing, The RAD Movement founder Sharie Finn clarified that he still has not been found.
“Was Bailey seen on base? Yes, he was seen on base on Aug. 31. Nobody has seen him since then,” Finn said in a video posted to The RAD Movement’s Facebook page on Sept. 4. “As of right now, there is no confirmation that Bailey is safe anywhere. And our biggest concern was that Bailey is safe from himself. We don’t know what he’s going through.”
In a live video on Facebook on Sept. 2, Cameron’s parents said their son had been struggling leading up to his disappearance, as he prepared to finish his five-year Marine Corps service.
Cameron’s mother said he was unsure of what his life would look like post-service, and that he was humiliated at being assigned to cleaning duties once he indicated he wouldn’t be re-upping for another five years.
“He’s been expressing a lot of stress, a lot of pressure, and a lack of compass, and where to go from here, because there aren’t a lot of supports when you finish as a Marine,” said his mother, Julianna England.
Their son’s disappearance and lack of contact is very out of character, according to his father, Kevin Cameron. He said he believes Cameron may have been panicking due to missing a required class to finish out his service.
Kevin said he wants his son to know that the most important thing is that he returns safely.
“There’s nothing that is so bad that he should feel like he can’t come back,” said Kevin. “Let’s get him back, let’s get him debriefed on what was going on, let’s get him through the amount of time thats appropriate for him to work off his time, and you know, across the finish line, and get him to finish this five years.”
Carlsbad Police said anyone with information about Cameron should contact the Marine Corps CID.
1 comment
The real story might be the circumstances leading these marines to walk away from the USMC when they know what will happen. I went U/A December, 1986. I woke up at about 9:30 when my ex-wife (US Navy) arrived home from work. She asked me if I was going in and I said no because at that point I was already hours late for a place where a minute was a month. We spent the day together and that evening I called my platoon sergeant. He told me he stuck his neck out for me and answered “all present and accounted for” because he didn’t think I would go U/A, being married and all. I ended up doing an extra fire watch but really got off with far less punishment than I deserved. Goody though, (Rest in Peace), met a girl in Oceanside that was of dubious nature. Back then the guys referred to her type as “skeezers”. Goody fell in love, moved her into his wall locker and eventually wrote checks for $50 over the amount at several PX’s to fund their flight. He was gone for a few weeks before he returned, was court-martialed and kicked out. You see, we hated the USMC—not the Corps itself, but the massive amount of abuse. Essentially 17th graders beating up on 13th graders at USMC H.S. The racism of the 1980’s, the “games” that are played during peacetime are oppressive. Rather than accomplishing anything all they wanted to do was exploit the fact “all of lesser rank” have to do what they’re told and complaining about it is a fast track to retaliation.