Scott Eby, a 52-year-old inmate at the Menard Correctional Center, died in a state prison. He had confessed to the sexual assault and murder of Riley Fox, a 3-year-old girl from Illinois, in 2004.
The tragic death of Riley Fox captured national attention when her father, Kevin Fox, was initially charged wrongly. Kevin spent eight months incarcerated until DNA evidence cleared him. He tragically died earlier this year in a car accident in Arkansas.
State officials provided no details on the circumstances surrounding Eby’s death. The Will County State’s Attorney confirmed his passing to news outlets but did not give further information. Attempts to contact the Illinois Department of Corrections were unsuccessful.
Scott Eby confessed in 2010, admitting to kidnapping Riley Fox from her Wilmington home. He sexually assaulted and drowned her in a creek, located about 60 miles from Chicago. DNA evidence and other clues, including Eby’s shoes retrieved from the water with his name, led authorities to him.
Former attorney Kathleen Zellner, who represented Kevin Fox, commented on Eby’s death as “a measure of justice for Riley.” She remarked on the irony of both Kevin Fox and Scott Eby dying in 2023, noting that Kevin’s death was a devastating tragedy for his family. “He was a kind and gentle man who loved his children above all,” she said.
The parents of Riley Fox were awarded over $8 million dollars in damages after accusing Will County investigators of planting evidence.
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