A man who is accused of faking his death to avoid child exploitation charges in Mississippi has been arrested in Oklahoma, according to the U.S. Marshals.
Jacob Blair Scott was added to the Marshals’ 15 Most Wanted Fugitive list on Wednesday. Less than 24 hours later, he was captured at an RV park in Antlers, Oklahoma.
Scott faces a 14-count indictment charging him with sexual battery, touching a child for lustful purposes, and exploitation of a child. Investigators said Scott allegedly sexually abused his stepdaughter.
When he failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing in July 2018, investigators found his abandoned dinghy off the coast of Orange Beach, Alabama. They found a gun and a note on the boat, but found little forensic evidence indicating a suicide. They searched the Gulf of Mexico for a week, but never found Scott’s remains. Authorities later learned he had withdrawn $45,000 from a bank account before he disappeared.
According to FOX21 sister station WKRG, Scott was reportedly sighted in the Denver area in February 2019. His mother and brother lived in the area at the time. Possible sightings were also reported in Mississippi, Nevada, and Louisiana.
U.S. Marshals said Thursday that Scott was arrested overnight at a campground in Antlers, Oklahoma, where he was staying in an RV.
The Marshals said Scott was going by the name “Luke,” and didn’t want to give his real name, until the Marshals confronted him about his tattoos.
“This all-out media blitz led to a critical citizen tip that ultimately resulted in the fastest apprehension of a fugitive in the 37-year history of the 15 Most Wanted program,” the Marshals said in a statement.
Scott is being held at the Pittsburg County Jail in Oklahoma, awaiting extradition back to Mississippi.
