Missing Oklahoma Man Found In Georgia; Faked Death Over Child Rape Charges

A missing Oklahoma man has been arrested in Georgia after law enforcement says he faked his own death to avoid his child rape charges.

The St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana says Melvin Emde was reported missing by his son in August while the two were kayaking in the Mississippi River.

The sheriff’s office said the day after Emde was reported missing, investigators learned he was facing child rape charges in North Carolina. Investigators quickly suspected Emde had faked his own death.

Investigators said Emde is from Talihina, Oklahoma, but was reported missing in Louisianna about a month ago. They said this week, the Georgia State Highway Patrol tried to pull over a man on a motorcycle, but the driver took off. They said the driver eventually crashed and then gave a fake name, but after he was booked into jail and fingerprinted, they learned he was actually Melvin Emde.

Law enforcement in Louisiana, North Carolina, and US Marshals had been searching for Emde since early August after his son reported Emde had gone overboard while kayaking and drowned in the Mississippi River. The sheriff's office in Louisiana says it thought Emde’s death was suspicious after learning he was due in court the next day in North Carolina to face child rape charges. They say Emde bought two prepaid phones on the same day he was reported missing.

They say the search for Emde focused on Oklahoma until they figured out the two phones had been turned off.

Emde has been booked into jail in Georgia but will be taken to North Carolina to face those charges.