A Mississippi man is now on the US Marshals 15 Most Wanted fugitives list after authorities say he faked his own death to avoid prosecution for the rape of his 14-year-old stepdaughter, the agency said in a news release.
A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for information leading directly to the arrest of Jacob Blair Scott, who authorities believe could be living off the grid due to his military training.
“I think we owe it to the family to get justice for this young girl,” Supervisory Deputy Inspector Carlos Cosby told CNN affiliate WLBT.
“This is a horrific act that she shouldn’t have to go through and he should be brought to justice for this.”
Scott faces a 14-count indictment charging him with sexual battery, touching a child for lustful purposes and exploitation of a child. While out on bond, he failed to appear for a court hearing in July 2018, the release said.
Investigators found his abandoned boat off the coast of Orange Beach, Alabama.
Authorities found a gun and note while searching the boat but found little forensic evidence of a suicide.
They searched for a week in the Gulf of Mexico for his body but never found remains.
Investigators later discovered that before Scott disappeared, he withdrew a large sum of the money from his bank account that was never recovered.
