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

Melvin Phillip Emde's son told authorities his father drowned in Louisiana

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

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

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

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

According to the the press release, the day after learning about 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 due in court that same day.

The new information was a red flag for authorities.

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“We immediately became quite suspicious that this may have been a faked accidental drowning and death in order for Mr. Emde to escape charges in Brunswick County, North Carolina,” Champagne said Monday. “However, we could not publicly expose our suspicions for fear of tipping him off.”

Detectives in St. Charles Parish spoke with authorities in North Carolina and learned that as a condition of Emde being out on bail, he was wearing an ankle monitor.

The tracking device led investigators to determine that Emde stopped at a Walmart in Boutte, Louisiana, to buy two prepaid phones. He would only make short calls on the cellular devices, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office said.

Authorities in North Carolina and the United States Marshals Service joined in on the search and they focused their search in Oklahoma, "until it became obvious the phones were no longer being used," authorities said.

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

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

During the arrest, the man gave officers a fake name but after being fingerprinted, it was discovered that it was Emde, Champagne said.

Sheriff Champagne thanked the Georgia State Highway Patrol, the United States Marshals Service, the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office Detective Joshua Deroche, and all of those involved for revealing the facts surrounding the disappearance of Emde during the multi-state search.

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“Now it’s time for Mr. Emde to face the music for his charges in North Carolina,” the sheriff added.

As of Tuesday, Emde was being held at the Dougherty County Jail in Albany, Georgia, as he awaits trial. No court date was provided in online records and no bond has been set.

It is not immediately known if he has legal representation. The details of his rape charges have not been released by officials, per USA Today. St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Amanda Pertuis told CNN Emde will not be extradited to Louisiana, but instead directly to North Carolina.

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