Missing Kayaker Allegedly Faked His Own Death Before Rape Charges Hearing, Police Say

A missing kayaker whose son told authorities he was dead has been found alive in Georgia, authorities said. Melvin Phillip Emde was due in court on rape charges the same day he was reported missing.

On Monday, the sheriff of St. Charles Greg Champagne announced in a press release that Emde, 41, was arrested Sunday by authorities in Tift County, Georgia.

Emde’s son Seth reported him missing on August 7. Seth told authorities his father went overboard and drowned while kayaking in the Mississippi River near Matis Road in Hahnville, Louisiana, about 30 miles west of New Orleans, Champagne said.

“They (father and son) were traveling [throughout the] southeast country doing storm-related work,” the sheriff said USA Today Tuesday. Emde is from Talihina, Oklahoma, and the two have been in Louisiana since Hurricane Ida in 2021.

grassy area near water.

According to a news release, a day after learning of the missing kayaker in August, detectives discovered Emde had pending charges of indecent liberties with a child and statutory rape of a child by an adult in Brunswick County, North Carolina. He was supposed to go to court the same day.

The new information was a warning sign for the authorities.

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“We immediately suspected that this may have been a faked accidental drowning and death in order for Mr. Emde to avoid charges in Brunswick County, North Carolina,” Champagne said Monday. “However, we couldn’t go public with our suspicions for fear of tipping him off.”

Detectives in the parish of St. Charles spoke with authorities in North Carolina and learned that Emde was wearing an ankle monitor as a condition of being released on bail.

the dog is standing in the water.

The tracking device led investigators to the conclusion that Emde had stopped at a Walmart in Boutte, Louisiana to purchase two prepaid phones. He would only make short calls on cellphones, the St. Mary’s Parish Sheriff’s Office said. Charles.

Authorities in North Carolina and the United States Marshals Service joined the search and focused their search on Oklahoma, “until it became apparent that the phones were no longer in use,” authorities said.

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In the early hours of Sunday morning, a Georgia State Highway Patrol trooper initiated a routine traffic stop on a motorcyclist who did not have a license plate, the St. Louis Parish Sheriff’s Office said. Charles.

The driver attempted to flee but then crashed the vehicle and was taken into custody after also attempting to flee on foot, according to the sheriff’s office.

Authorities stand near the vehicle.

The Sheriff’s Office of St. Charles

During the arrest, the man gave officers a false name, but after his fingerprints were taken, it was found to be Emde, Champagne said.

Sheriff Champagne thanked the Georgia State Highway Patrol, the United States Sheriff’s Office, the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, St. Charles Joshua Deroche and all those who were involved in uncovering the facts surrounding Emde’s disappearance during the multi-state search.

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“It is now time for Mr. Emde to face the music for his charges in North Carolina,” the sheriff added.

As of Tuesday, Emde was in the Dougherty County Jail in Albany, Georgia, awaiting trial. No court date is listed in online records and no bond has been set.

It is not immediately known if he has a legal representative. Officials have not released details of his rape allegations, per USA Today. Public Information Officer of the Sheriff’s Office of St. Charles Amanda Pertuis told CNN that Emde will not be extradited to Louisiana, but directly to North Carolina.

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