Man may have faked drowning to avoid sex assault charges, officials say

MONTEREY CO., California -- A man may have faked his drowning in California to avoid sexual assault charges in another country, according to ABC News reports.

Kim Gordon's 17-year-old son reported him missing on Feb. 25. Dive teams and Coast Guard helicopters spent days desperately trying to find Gordon.

But they found nothing. Not a trace of anything.

That's what made investigators suspicious.

"During the course of those ... interviews, the story started to fall apart," Capt. John Thornburg with Monterey County Sheriff's Office said. "They were supposedly camping at different parts of the state but had no camping gear. They had two backpacks with minimal items in them."

Once investigators started to think the disappearance was a hoax, they started looking into Gordon's background.

That's when they learned he was facing multiple sexual assault charges in Scotland. He's scheduled to be in court March 11.

Gordon, who is in his 50s, is still considered the subject of a missing persons case. However, if he does not show up for his court hearing in Scotland, warrants will be issued for his arrest and the reason behind the search will change.