The son of a man police say faked his death in Hahnville in 2023 to avoid sexual misconduct charges recently admitted to the scheme in federal court.
Seth Emde, 23 and of Randolph County, Ala., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a federal offense against or defraud the United States or an agency thereof, and communication of a false distress message to the United States Coast Guard, United States Attorney David I. Courcelle announced.
His sentencing is set for Sept. 16 and Emde faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy count and a maximum of 10 years for the false distress message count. Each offense also carries a potential supervised release term of up to three years and a fine of up to $250,000, along with a mandatory special assessment.
According to court documents, Emde and father Melvin, 43, devised a plan to stage Melvin’s death to avoid further legal proceedings connected to sexual misconduct charges he faced in North Carolina.
Just after midnight on August 7, 2023, Melvin Emde, of Talihina, Okla., was reported missing by his son after allegedly going overboard and drowning while kayaking in the Mississippi River near Matis Road in Hahnville.
St. Charles Parish detectives learned the next day that Emde had pending charges of indecent liberties with a child and statutory rape of a child by an adult in Brunswick County, North Carolina, and was due in court that same day, according to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office.
“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 St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne following Melvin Emde’s arrest in September of 2023.
Melvin and Seth Emde purchased fishing gear from Walmart in Boutte as well as two pre-paid phones and calling cards to avoid tracking, authorities said.
Melvin Emde allegedly discarded an ankle monitor he wore as a condition of bail into the Mississippi River and returned to Oklahoma after his reported “death.” Seth Emde’s 911 call claiming his father had fallen overboard triggered a search by the United States Coast Guard.
Detectives worked with authorities in North Carolina and the United States Marshals Service to track the pre-paid phones purchased by Melvin Emde. Melvin discreetly used one phone and only turned it on for short periods of time, according to the sheriff’s office.
The original search focused on Oklahoma until it became obvious the phones were no longer being used. On September 17, 2023, at approximately 3:30 a.m., a Georgia State Highway Patrol officer attempted to stop a motorcycle for not having a license plate. The motorcycle fled and ultimately crashed. The driver attempted to flee on foot but was taken into custody. The driver gave a false name, and once fingerprinted it was learned that he was Melvin Emde, according to the sheriff’s office.
That ended what was more than a month on the run from authorities for Melvin Emde. His federal trial is scheduled to begin in August in New Orleans.
