In a shocking turn of events, US Marine Cpl. Charles Benfield has disappeared without a trace, leaving his family and comrades deeply concerned about his wellbeing. The dedicated serviceman was last seen more than a week ago in San Diego following an arrest for public intoxication. His sudden disappearance has raised many questions and concerns.

After being released from a recovery center, Benfield expressed fears about the potential damage to his military career due to this incident. “He was saying how he was scared, he was going to lose his rank because they had to meet that following morning at 8 a.m., which he had obviously missed,” shared his sister Sarah Lazo in an interview.

According to Lazo, her brother mentioned needing to locate his phone before disappearing. In addition, it was discovered that large sums of money were withdrawn from various ATMs leaving his bank account completely drained. This unusual behavior has left Benfield’s family extremely worried as he has not been in touch since.

The Marines and NCIS have joined forces in the ongoing search for the missing marine. Despite the circumstances, Lazo remains hopeful as she believes her brother would never willingly abandon his post, especially after having recently re-enlisted.

“We’re all worried,” Lazo expressed. “This isn’t normal behavior for Alex, just to leave and not to have any contact with anyone, especially my mom.”

A representative from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit confirmed Benfield’s absence from duty on April 15. “Cpl. Charles Benfield, a field artillery cannoneer assigned to Battalion Landing Team 1/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, did not report for duty the morning of April 15 following weekend liberty in the San Diego area. The 15th MEU is aware that Cpl. Benfield was detained by San Diego police April 14 and released later that day.”

His sister remains perplexed by his sudden disappearance. “I can understand him being scared to show up after missing a meet, but to completely fall off the face of the earth basically is unlike him at all,” Lazo said.