FALLBROOK, Calif. -- A Camp Pendleton Marine was on his way home from Afghanistan Tuesday as San Diego County deputies investigated the disappearance of his wife, Brittany Killgore, who was divorcing him.
"Thank you everyone for the prayers and concerns," Killgore's husband, Cory Killgore, a motor transport operator, said on his Facebook page. "I request you pray for her more then you do for me I have family and friends for support she is alone where ever she is."
Brittany Killgore's parents flew to San Diego from their home in Erie, Pa., Monday, according to media reports.
A person of interest who deputies said was “uncooperative” in the case was jailed over the weekend on a separate charge. Louis Ray Perez, 45, also a Marine based at Camp Pendleton, was last seen with Killgore, 22, who was dressed in a purple evening gown, officials told NBCSanDiego.com.
Sheriff’s Lt. Larry Nesbit said Perez was arrested Sunday on suspicion of possessing an AR-15 rifle stolen from the base. Investigators discovered the weapon in Perez’s car while they searched it for clues in Killgore’s disappearance, NBCSanDiego.com reported. He was being held at a San Diego jail on $500,000 bail on suspicion of illegal possession of an assault weapon and receiving stolen property.
See NBCSanDiego.com's video report
"There is a strong likelihood Brittany is the victim of foul play," Nesbit said.
Teams searching for Killgore scoured rural areas around Fallbrook on Monday.
They suspended their search in the large and dense De Luz Canyon Tuesday after finding nothing Monday, sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Caldwell told msnbc.com. She said deputies were following other leads, but she could not comment further because of the "very active" nature of the case.
Her cellphone was found about 60 miles south Saturday in San Diego's Gaslamp District by city trolley security.
Authorities, however, said they doubt Killgore ever made it to the shopping and entertainment district known for its nightlife. She likely never left the Fallbrook area, officials said.
The North County Times said records show Killgore filed for divorce last week from her husband, who officials said is returning from Afghanistan because of the disappearance but is not suspected of being involved. He was deployed last fall.
The San Diego Union Tribune said the couple, from Missouri, married in 2010 and moved to Fallbrook a month later. They lived in an apartment near Camp Pendleton gates.
The divorce was news to neighbor Christopher Oglesby, who told NBCSanDiego.com that Killgore was very nice.
“There’s nothing shady going on around here,” he said.
Another neighbor, Paul Burshteyn, told NBCSanDiego.com that Killgore could still return.
“Hope never dies,” he said.
Killgore is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 130 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes, officials said.
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