A manhunt is underway for a Mississippi man accused of raping and impregnating his 14-year-old stepdaughter who allegedly staged his death in Alabama as he faced criminal charges.
The teen victim’s mother told the Sun Herald said she knew ex-husband Jacob Blair Scott, 42, had not actually killed himself after authorities didn’t locate a body in Scott’s dinghy, which was located a mile offshore of Orange Beach, Alabama.
“He wasn’t the type of person to own up when he did something wrong,” she said of her former husband of 10 years. “He said he’d never go to prison.”
Scott, an Iraq veteran and Purple Heart recipient, was reportedly slated to plead guilty to nine counts of sexual battery against a minor, four counts of touching of a minor for lustful purposes, and one count of child exploitation three days before he mysteriously vanished in July while boating in Alabama. A judge had allowed Scott to seek treatment for stage three ulcerative colitis, a potentially life-threatening condition, before entering his guilty plea, according to the Sun Herald.
Authorities reportedly located a handgun that was tied to a rope and hanging off the side of the boat, in addition to a suicide note which read, “I’m sorry.” The newspaper reported that the note also included his mother’s name, her phone number, and his Social Security number.
Scott’s body has not been located, and U.S. Marshals reportedly called attention to the lack of forensic evidence suggesting a suicide occurred. Furthermore, the outlet reported that he had withdrawn $45,000 from his retirement account and was spending excessive amounts of money before his disappearance.
The victim’s mother filed for divorce after police called them to a hospital, where she learned that her daughter was pregnant and Scott was the father, according to the Sun Times. She claimed Scott kept her daughter from disclosing the abuse by threatening to “blow her momma’s head off,” and making the girl watch the violent act.
U.S Marshals are offering a reward for information that leads them to Scott. KGMH reported that the agency received a tip that he has been spotted in the Denver, Colorado, area, where his mother, brother, and sister live. Scott’s mother told the station that her son is dead and blamed the 14-year-old for seducing him.
Meanwhile, the victim’s mother is pleading for her ex-husband to surrender to police.
“Please, just do the right thing for once and turn yourself in,” she said. “[My daughter] deserves justice, Jacob. You’ve done enough. Please, please turn yourself in and do the right thing.”
[Featured Image: Jacob Blair Scott/Jackson County Adult Detention Center]
