Court documents reveal details about the rape charges a man who faked his death faces in Brunswick County

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Court documents obtained by WECT detail the charges Melvin Emde, who allegedly faked his death, faces.

Emde has been charged with several sex crimes against children under the age of 10, including statutory sexual offense with a child by an adult, indecent liberties with a child and statutory rape of a child by adult.

Emde waived the right to counsel and chose to defend himself. He spent just over nine months behind bars after being taken into custody in July 2022. He was released from jail this past April, out on a $50,000 bond.

Emde had a court date set for August 7 in Brunswick County. He was reported missing by his son after allegedly going overboard and drowning while kayaking in the Mississippi River in Louisiana on the same day he was expected in court.

The sheriff’s office in St. Charles Parish, the area where Emde is believed to have staged his death, released a statement.

“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. However, we could not publicly expose our suspicions for fear of tipping him off,” said Sheriff Champagne.

On Sunday, Georgia State Highway Patrol tracked him down at around 3:30 a.m.

The patrol officer attempted to stop a motorcycle for not having a license plate. The motorcycle fled and crashed. The driver tried to flee on foot but was taken into custody.

The driver used a false name at first, but fingerprints later identified him as Melvin Emde. His court date is set for October 3.

“Now it’s time for Mr. Emde to face the music for his charges in North Carolina,” Champagne said in a statement.

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