Veteran, survivalist accused of faking suicide to avoid child rape charge added to 15 Most Wanted list

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

U.S. marshals have added a Mississippi man, Jacob Blair Scott, to its 15 Most Wanted fugitives list. He is accused of faking his own death to avoid charges that he raped and impregnated his 14-year-old stepdaughter.

Scott, 43, was elevated to the Marshals Service’s 15 Most Wanted fugitives list Wednesday, and authorities are asking the public for information that could lead to his arrest.

"Jacob Scott stands accused of unspeakable crimes against a child. The Marshals will leave no stone unturned until we bring him to justice," said U.S. Marshals Service Director Donald Washington in a Jan. 29 press release.

A year ago, police said a small boat was found abandoned offshore near Orange Beach, Alabama. Authorities said the vessel belonged to 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.

Katrina Crouse, a senior inspector for the Marshals Service, told The Associated Press that investigators in Alabama and Mississippi said that scene appeared staged.

"Based on the conversations with local investigators, it is not believed that an actual suicide took place and that he is actively avoiding capture," Crouse wrote in an email.

Scott is described as a 5-foot-10 white man, weighing around 225 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. Marshalls say he is a survivalist and a military veteran who received a Purple Heart in 2011 for injuries he sustained while deployed in Iraq. His military background and knowledge of the outdoors may enable him to live off the grid.

He has tattoos of a machete, a scorpion and a compass with feathers.

So far there have been reported possible sightings of Scott in Mississippi, Colorado, Nevada and Louisiana.

U.S. marshals are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading directly to his arrest.

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