U.S. Marshals Arrest Man Accused of Faking Suicide to Avoid Jail for Child Rape

Washington, D.C. – The search for 15 Most Wanted fugitive Jacob Blair Scott ended less than 24 hours after he was added to the U.S. Marshals' most wanted list. The Mississippi man was located and arrested in a mobile home park* in Antlers, Oklahoma, around midnight Wednesday.

Scott, 43, is wanted for allegedly faking his own death to avoid prosecution for raping his 14-year-old stepdaughter.

U.S. Marshals got a break in the case after coordinating a nationwide media blitz Wednesday announcing his addition to their 15 Most Wanted fugitive list, and seeking any information that could lead to his arrest.

"Within hours of our announcement and our plea to the public for information, a tipster called the Pushmataha Sheriff's Office in Oklahoma and said a man fitting the description of Jacob Scott was staying in a mobile home* park," said Inspector Jeremy Stilwell, the lead investigator on the case for the U.S. Marshals. "After sheriff's deputies looked up Scott's information, they saw he was wanted by the Marshals and immediately relayed the tip to us. We then worked with the local authorities to develop a plan for his arrest."

At approximately midnight Wednesday, U.S. Marshals with the Eastern District of Oklahoma and Pushmataha Sheriff's deputies descended upon the mobile home park and located the camper Scott was allegedly living in. After several call outs, Scott exited, but refused to acknowledge he was the fugitive. He finally admitted to his identity after authorities verified his tattoos. He was then taken into custody.

"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,” said U.S. Marshals Assistant Director for Investigative Operations Jeff Tyler.

Scott is currently being held at the Pittsburg County Jail in Oklahoma awaiting extradition back to Mississippi. He faces a 14-count indictment charging him with sexual battery, touching a child for lustful purposes, and exploitation of a child.

*This is a corrected version. The original press release indicated Scott had been arrested in an RV park in Antlers. It was not an RV park, but a mobile home park. Antlers RV Park is not connected in any way to this case. The discrepancy was completely unintentional and unfortunate.