Scott Eby, aged 52, who was serving time for the sexual assault and murder of a 3-year-old girl, Riley Fox, in Illinois in 2004, has died in state prison. Eby was a prisoner at Menard Correctional Center and passed away on Thursday, as confirmed by state records through an online inmate notification system.
The case of Riley Fox, whose body was discovered in a stream near her home, attracted national attention because her father, Kevin Fox, was initially and wrongly accused. Kevin Fox spent eight months in prison before being cleared by DNA evidence. Tragically, he died earlier this year in a car accident in Arkansas.
Authorities have not released further details concerning Eby’s death. The State’s Attorney’s Office for Will County confirmed his passing but withheld additional information. The spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Corrections has not responded to email or phone inquiries sent on Sunday.
In 2010, Eby, a convicted sex offender at the time, confessed to abducting Riley Fox from her home in Wilmington, sexually assaulting her, and drowning her in a stream. Wilmington is located approximately 97 kilometers (60 miles) from Chicago.
Authorities linked Eby to the crime based on DNA evidence collected at the scene and other clues, including a pair of shoes retrieved from the water with Eby’s name written on them.
Kathleen Zellner, the former lawyer for Kevin Fox, commented on Sunday that Eby’s death serves as “a measure of justice for Riley.”
“It is ironic that Kevin Fox and Scott Eby both died in 2023. Kevin’s death was a terrible tragedy for him and his family,” she stated, describing him as “a kind and gentle man who loved his children above all.”
The parents of Riley Fox received over 8 million dollars in damages after accusing Will County investigators of planting evidence.