(AP) — A St. Charles man has been charged with faking suicide to avoid a child sex abuse accusation.

Forty-five-year-old Raymond Avett was charged Wednesday with concealing a felony. So was his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Callaway, the 6-year-old’s mother.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (bit.ly/19XREdZ ) reports that Avett disappeared in June after leaving several suicide notes. He had recently learned that Callaway’s daughter disclosed the alleged sexual abuse.

Callaway is accused of blackmailing her boyfriend to give her his home, boat, sport-utility vehicle and a life insurance policy naming the child as beneficiary in return for not telling police about the alleged attack.

Avett was not located until mid-July when he was stopped by police in Maryland. Police say he cashed out more than $100,000 from a retirement account.