A man who confessed to the sexual assault and murder of a 3-year-old girl in Illinois in 2004 has died in a state prison. Scott Eby, aged 52, an inmate at the Menard Correctional Center, passed away on Thursday. This information comes from an online inmate notification system.
The death of Riley Fox made national headlines when her body was discovered in a creek near her home. Initially, her father, Kevin Fox, was wrongly accused in the case. He spent eight months in jail before DNA evidence cleared his name. Earlier this year, Kevin Fox died in a car accident in Arkansas.
Authorities have yet to disclose details about the circumstances of Eby’s death. The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office confirmed his passing but shared no additional information. A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Corrections did not respond to emails or phone calls on Sunday.
In 2010, Eby, already a convicted sex offender, confessed to kidnapping Riley Fox from her Wilmington home, sexually assaulting her, and drowning her in a creek. Wilmington is located about 97 kilometers (60 miles) from Chicago. Authorities used DNA evidence from the crime scene and other clues, such as Eby’s shoes found in the water with his name on them, to identify him.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Kathleen Zellner, the former attorney for Kevin Fox, referred to Eby’s death as ‘a measure of justice for Riley.’ She remarked on the irony that both Kevin Fox and Scott Eby died in 2023, noting, ‘Kevin’s death was a terrible tragedy for him and his family. He was a kind and gentle man who loved his children above all.’
Following the case, Riley Fox’s parents received over $8 million in damages after accusing Will County investigators of evidence planting.