A man accused in a child rape case was arrested weeks after he faked his own death, sheriff says
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana sheriff says a man wanted on a child rape charge in North Carolina faked his own death last month in a kayaking accident on the Mississippi River. St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne says 41-year-old Melvin Emde, of Talihina, Oklahoma, was reported missing by his son on Aug. 7. Emde reportedly had fallen from a kayak and drowned. But, investigators suspected the drowning was faked when they learned of the North Carolina charge. On Sunday, a man arrested by the Georgia Highway Patrol after crashing a motorcycle turned out to be Emde.