National

Police: Man faked death instead of pleading guilty to raping teen

MOSS POINT, Miss. — An Army veteran is accused of faking his own death to avoid charges that he raped and impregnated a 14-year-old girl.

Police said a small boat was found abandoned offshore near Orange Beach, Alabama. Authorities said the vessel belonged to Jacob Blair Scott and inside they found a note with Scott's Social Security number written on it, along with an apology: "I'm sorry." They also said they found a handgun tied to a rope, The Associated Press reported.

Police said they searched for Scott, but found it odd that there wasn't any forensic evidence of a suicide. They didn't find any skin and very little blood in the boat, the Sun Herald in Biloxi, Mississippi, reported.

TRENDING NOW:

Police said it was also unusual for a body not to surface in the Gulf of Mexico, the newspaper reported.

Police believe he’s been on the run since.

>> Read more trending news

The victim's mother told the Sun Herald that she never thought Scott had killed himself. She told the paper that he told her he would never serve prison time and that he could live off the land.

They said he had taken $45,000 from his retirement account and disappeared before he was expected to plead guilty to raping and impregnating the girl, according to the AP.

DNA evidence said he is the father of the teen's baby, the AP reported.

A grand jury indicted Scott on 14 sex crime charges, and he was granted a $65,000 bond. He failed to show for his hearing to enter guilty pleas, the Sun Herald reported.

U.S. marshals are now offering a reward for information on where Scott could be. Anyone with tips can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898.