An Illinois man who confessed to the 2004 sexual assault and murder of a three-year-old girl dies in prison

CHICAGO– A man who confessed to the 2004 sexual assault and murder of a three-year-old Illinois girl has died in a state prison, according to state records.

Scott Eby, 52, an inmate at Menard Correctional Center, died Thursday, according to an online inmate reporting system.

The death of Riley Fox, whose body was found in a creek near her home, made national headlines at the time because her father was initially wrongly accused in the case. Kevin Fox spent eight months in prison before being acquitted based on DNA evidence. He died earlier this year in a car accident in Arkansas.

Details about the circumstances of Eby's death have not been released. The Will County State's Attorney's Office confirmed the death to the media but provided no further details. A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Corrections did not return email and phone messages Sunday.

In 2010, Eby, then a convicted sex offender, confessed to kidnapping Riley Fox from her Wilmington home, sexually assaulting her and drowning her in a creek. Wilmington is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) from Chicago.

Authorities were led to Eby based on DNA evidence collected at the crime scene, along with other clues, including a pair of Eby's shoes pulled from the water with his name written in them.

Kevin Fox's former attorney, Kathleen Zellner, called Eby's death “a measure of justice for Riley” in a statement Sunday.

“It's ironic that Kevin Fox and Scott Eby both died in 2023. Kevin's death was a terrible tragedy for him and his family,” she said. “He was a kind, gentle man who loved his children above all else.”

Riley Fox's parents were awarded more than $8 million in damages after accusing Will County investigators of fabricating evidence.