Mississippi Veteran Allegedly Faked Own Death After Raping 14-year-old Stepdaughter in Order to Avoid Charges: Authorities

U.S. Marshals are hunting a Mississippi war veteran who allegedly impregnated his 14-year-old stepdaughter and faked his own death in a bid to avoid prison. The victim's mother appealed for the suspect to hand himself to police in a Sun Herald article published Monday.

Jacob Blair Scott, 42, of Moss Point, disappeared in July just days before he was expected to plead guilty to a number of charges against him, The Herald reported. The Iraq War veteran had entered a plea deal with the state over 14 felony sex crime charges.

Authorities accused Scott of raping his stepdaughter and making lewd videos of the teenager, among other charges. He was on bond when he disappeared, and is now considered a fugitive. A warrant was issued for his arrest back in August, The Herald previously reported.

Earlier this month, ABC-affiliated station Denver 7 stated Scott had reportedly been spotted in Colorado. Someone submitted a tip on December 26 to the Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers that Scott had been seen at The Golden Spike Apartments in Denver. A worker later told Deputy U.S. Marshals they recognized Scott.

Last summer, law enforcement found an abandoned dinghy containing a gun and a note, but little forensic evidence of a suicide, off the coast of Orange Beach, Alabama.

Officials found the gun hanging from a rope off the side of the dinghy. But apart from a small amount of blood, there was little evidence that Scott had died and fallen off the boat. Investigators noted a lack of forensic evidence that would normally accompany a gunshot wound to the head.

Law enforcement searched for Scott's body for a week, but couldn't find it. The body hadn't surfaced in the water, which authorities noted is unusual for a Gulf of Mexico death.

Authorities discovered the disgraced veteran had withdrawn $45,000 from a retirement account before he disappeared. "If you take money out of an account, we know where that money goes. You either give it to relatives or you distribute it to friends," Deputy U.S. Marshal Crouse previously told Denver 7. "No money has been located."

The victim's mother told The Herald she'd never believed Scott had ended his own life. "He wasn't the type of person to own up when he did something wrong," she told the publication. "He said he'd never go to prison."

The mother—whom the paper didn't name to protect her daughter's identity—said Scott emotionally and physically abused her during their ten-year marriage. She filed for divorce after learning of his alleged crimes.

She appealed for Scott to hand himself in to authorities, saying, "[My daughter] deserves justice, Jacob. You've done enough. Please, please turn yourself in and do the right thing."