From decorated US soldier to widower accused of child abduction

Toby Studabaker, a former US Marine, appears to have inhabited a world far removed from that of a 12-year-old girl in the north of England.

Mr Studabaker, 31, was raised in the small Michigan town of Constantine, close to the Canadian border, where he enjoyed a "happy" childhood practising martial arts and playing American football. After leaving school, he spent a year at Rosedale Bible College in Ohio, which he said helped him to feel more able to serve God and "draw closer to him". He was married, but his wife died of cancer last year and they had no children.

He joined the US Marines in 2000 and, after training in North Carolina, he was deployed in Afghanistan in the responses to the 11 September attacks. He later described his time there as "one of the best experiences I have had".

He was awarded the Sea Service Medal and was discharged at the end of June this year, suffering from a bad shoulder. He returned to Michigan where he stayed with his brother Leo and his family. He informed them that he was planning to visit a 19-year-old student in England with whom he had been in touch for more than a year via the internet.

When the alarm was raised by Shevaun Pennington's parents last weekend, the FBI began to examine his past.

Investigators found that five years ago he had been accused of alleged sexual misconduct with two girls under the age of 13. The case was subsequently dropped. US detectives also learnt that he had meticulously planned his trip with Shevaun. There were further reports that he had downloaded child pornography from the internet.

His family was adamant before the pair were located that Mr Studabaker had been duped by the girl. His brother said: "He thought they were getting serious and wanted to go over and find out exactly what her feelings were."