ARKANSAS, USA — Isaac James Melder, a 42-year-old Yellville resident, has been sentenced to prison for 30 years after being found guilty of convincing a child to run away from home and live with him in a cave, referring to her as his "wife."
In May 2022, a 14-year-old girl was reported missing when she wasn't on the school bus that usually took her home.
A few days later, police found messages between the girl and Melder on her Xbox that described plans to run away and live together in a cave. Melder knew the girl was below the age of consent and exchanged sexually explicit messages with her.
Melder had groomed the victim and her family by providing groceries, money, alcohol, and marijuana, according to an indictment.
During a search of a property belonging to Melder's family, police reportedly found a stash of food, clothing, lingerie, and other items. Six weeks later, police reportedly found the girl in rural Marion County "living in a makeshift cave."
In an interview with Arkansas State Police, the girl stated that she and Melder "were in love and planned to run away together."
In the affidavit that charged Melder with four counts of sexual indecency with a child, the girl is said to have told ASP she and Melder, who was 40 at the time, had "sexual intercourse on numerous occasions" in the cave.
Over a year later, in July 2023, Melder made a plea deal where he confessed to persuading the girl to run away from home and have sex with him, pleading guilty to communicating with a minor through the internet to entice the minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
Melder was sentenced to 30 years in prison without the possibility of parole on Feb. 13, 2024.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.