By her account, Swearengen said that he suspected that Kevin had bumped Riley's head, perhaps while opening the bathroom door, and had panicked when it appeared she was dead. 21244 W Highway 113 Rte #113, Wilmington, IL 60481. ABC News 20/20 features this murder in one of their episodes and takes the viewer through the harrowing ordeal Rileys family had to go through after losing their child. Most of those who knew Kevin and the rest of the Fox family believed in his innocence. TueWedThuFriSat. (A water usage report from that night suggests that the washing machine did not run.) The couple announced the birth of their son via social media to their friends and followers. "Rape kits"-samples of DNA collected from Riley's body-were sent to the Illinois State Police crime lab for analysis. They love to see innocent children tortured and defiled for their indigent minds because it elevates an idiot. The claim triggered an investigation from a representative of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Visitation Friday, March 28th, 3 to 9 p.m. Funeral Saturday, 9:45 a.m., to St. Symphorosa Church. When the bag was thrown from the bridge, however, it twice floated to the spot where the body had been found. A videotape captured the session, conducted by a forensic interviewer named Mary Jane Pluth, who works for the Will County Children's Advocacy Center. For the first time publicly, Kevin and his wife, Melissa, talk about their ordeal, an account of pain, mystery, and undying faith, wrapped around an enduring tragedy. Authorities initially charged the young girl's father, Kevin Fox, with the murder, based largely on a videotape confession that he'd killed Riley. A father of two, he made a failed run for Congress in 1994, but in the 2000 race for Will County state's attorney, the Republican Tomczak beat the incumbent Democrat, James Glasgow. A few years later, Kevin and Melissa became proud parents of baby Riley, and the family seemed to be quite happy. Wilmington, IL Baskerville Funeral Home - Wilmington Friday, February 17, 2023 Add Photos Add a Memory MICHAEL R. JOHNSTONE Age 59 of Wilmington, formerly of West Chicago, Illinois, passed. . As for the murder of Riley, "You did it," the lawsuit quotes Williams as saying. He's a local resident. On Feb. 9, the Wilmington City Council held a special meeting at Wilmington High School. "What kind of Cracker-Jack-box cops don't have the decency to tell the parents of a murdered little girl that their daughter is dead?" IL NewsDrunken Driver On Wrong Side Of Jefferson Street: Joliet Police ; Joliet, IL News Within minutes, Melissa and a friend were barreling down Interstate 55. As for the long-awaited DNA evidence originally taken from Riley, the news was not good for Kevin. "Hurry back. Best MatchPowered by Whitepages Premium Best MatchPowered by Whitepages Premium Best Match Kevin Edward Fox Morrilton, AR (previously lived in Wilmington, IL) AGE 40s AGE 40s Kevin Edward Fox "I felt as if I had aged five years since Kevin's arrest," he says. Almost immediately after his arrest, Kevin and Melissa brought this multi-count, multi-party lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. After all, the boy could be crucial in helping the parents find their daughter's killer. He was not a match, Bode reported. View Kevin Fox results in Arkansas (AR) including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. When the FBI began its investigation in 2009, it was two years after a jury awarded Fox and his then-wife, Melissa Fox, $15.5 million for the Will County Sheriff's Office investigators' false. Instead, he decided to make her death look like an abduction. Melissa says that Swearengen told her about the videotape of the car and about Tyler's statement and then laid out an "accident" scenario for the death of Riley. "She is in pain and needs closure. Join Facebook to connect with Kevin Fox and others you may know. "We felt we could never get an answer on the progress of the case," Kevin says. And they turn the page. Pluth starts off with basic questions about where Tyler lives and what kind of sports he likes. But now that I have a wonderful wife, and the two most beautiful children in the world, you get to finally follow me and make a family. Tomczak added other details: The girl had been placed in the water while she was still "alive and moving and kicking." A few hours later, at a reception at the Park Hyatt, Kevin drew on the moment as he stood to toast his brother, Chad, and Chad's new wife, Stacy. Judge James Carroll Fox, 90, of Wilmington, NC, passed away March 23 rd at home surrounded by his loving wife and family. That Saturday night, she stayed at a campsite with friends in Skokie. The girl appeared "lifeless," and Kevin thought she was dead. "She didn't make it. He knew he was innocent, he says. Why would Tyler say Kevin had walked out during the night with Riley? After an hour, the boy draws into a fetal position. Court Upholds Finding that Police Framed Kevin Fox; Jury Awards Kevin Fox, Wife $15.5 Mil; Will Taping Interrogations Fix the System? There, the couple gave birth to another daughter, Teagan, in 2006. 77/48F. "I used to love it," Kevin says of his hometown. I had never been treated like that before. The Tribune reported last year that while the FBI had paid $10,000 to Trisha Kiefer, Eby's former girlfriend, for her help in solving one of the Chicago region's most notorious crimes, the Fox . Dimitre Dimitrov, 64, allegedly killed his wife, MaryAnn Dimitrov, and himself at the Holly Tree Racquet Club in Wilmington last Tuesday evening. After three weeks, however, the lab still had not received Riley's DNA. Heartwarming that Kevins wife, brother, family, and Ms. Zelner stood by his side. For Chad, the fight to clear his kid brother's name became a crusade. Some people still thought he was a murderer. (Tomczak later accused Kevin of lying during his confession-concocting the story of the bathroom door to hide his guilt in molesting Riley.) Despite the elimination of all charges against Kevin, some still wonder how a child could be abducted from under a father's nose. But we feel closer to her when we go there. In fact, a day after the election, an order had come from the Will County Sheriff's Office halting any testing of DNA evidence in the Riley Fox murder. I can help this kid if he acts now," the detective quoted the state's attorney as saying. Meanwhile, the members of Kevin's family hold firm to their unwavering belief in the man who they say became, like his murdered daughter, a victim. In addition, the family has upped its reward to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of Riley's killer. Within moments, Swearengen appeared and led her into an adjoining room. ", And yet, "I'm sitting there thinking there's videotape of the car," she says. They agreed to tell their story to Chicago, they say, in hopes of calling attention to the injustices they believe they have suffered and to breathe new life into an investigation that, even authorities admit, has not yielded any promising leads for months. "He watched everybody search for his child the whole day," one woman, a ten-year resident of Wilmington, told the Chicago Sun-Times. "Because I think to myself what Riley would be doing right now. Glasgow would later say he was "shocked" at the results. Now, just a handful of minutes after giving his statement, he sat behind a Plexiglas window with a phone in his hand, shaking his head and crying as his older brother, Chad, and Kathleen Zellner watched helplessly and offered what comfort they could. He laid Riley on the couch and placed his son, Tyler, in the chair in the living area before going to his room to watch TV. The case has set in motion a series of events that bitterly divided what had been a neighborly town; cast a shadow of suspicion over a tight-knit, well-respected family; and raised questions about whether justice was forsaken for personal and political ambitions. ", The couple, however, have moved out of Wilmington. According to the sheriff's summary, this is what he said: He came home at about 1:30 a.m., ate a snack, and then watched television, including an adult video. An autopsy would later reveal that the girl had been sexually abused and probably died from drowning. Outside the courtroom, more than 100 friends and family greeted them. He recanted almost immediately, but spent eight months in jail before DNA evidence led to his release. Williams told Kevin that if he passed he would be cleared in his daughter's death, according to the lawsuit; if he failed, he would be charged with murder. The collection of friends, family, reporters, and onlookers watched as Kevin Fox, red-eyed and shell-shocked, shuffled into the courtroom. (Through his attorney, Gerald Haberkorn, Hayes denied any allegations of impropriety. Glasgow seized on the charges, suggesting his opponent would be soft on crime. "I've just been handed our certificate of intent to seek the death penalty in this case," the prosecutor declared. Kevin was shocked beyond words when the police recovered Rileys body but tried his best to assist in the investigation. At the time, it seemed like a happy though standard family portrait. ", Kevin says that Swearengen suggested the same "accident" scenario that he had proposed to Melissa nearly nine hours earlier. He began having nightmares in which he would see Kevin strapped to a gurney, about to receive a lethal injection. Melissa, meanwhile, was led into a conference room where, Swearengen told her, detective Guilfoyle would be along shortly to ask a few questions. Menu. As a young boy, his family moved to New York and thence to Greensboro, NC, where he spent his formative years. (Will County investigators refuse comment on the quality of the videotape. In fact, the case was already out of their hands. Meanwhile, Tomczak and Glasgow were said to be running neck and neck in the state's attorney's race. Many other people assumed he was guilty. He struggles to catch his breath between sobs. Her hair a tiara of chestnut curls, she wore a snow-white "princess" dress, a gossamer confection of satin and lace over white satin slippers. "They'd come back with their legs scratched up and bleeding," recalls Kevin. The estranged couple was in the middle of a . "I kept saying, What's going on? "Are you kidding me?" Seventeen years after the murder and abduction of three-year-old Riley Fox from Wilmington, Illinois, a new two-hour "20/20," featuring reporting by Anchor David Muir, has newly obtained recordings and documents that reveal shocking new details about the case.The two-hour program reports on how the mystery unraveled, including how authorities mistakenly zeroed in on Riley's father, Kevin . Chad was on the phone to his father, desperately urging Kevin and Melissa to leave. An Amber alert for Riley Fox had flashed on the scoreboard. When Kevin returned to his home in Wilmington, Illinois, around 1am on June 6, 2004, after picking up his children from their grandmother's home, he was exhausted. The sheriff's summary report portrays Melissa as expressing doubts about her husband's innocence. 3-year-old Riley Fox was found inside a creek a little distance away from her home in Wilmington, Illinois. Among those in attendance, unobtrusive but noticeable, were two men holding video cameras. Twitter Lhamo. Little did he know that a few hours later, he would be waking up to the worst nightmare of his life and that his beloved daughter would be taken away from him forever. After the bailiff called the court to order, Tomczak laid out what he called cold, hard evidence of the father's guilt, including a confession. "I was raised with the idea that authorities were good people and that they should be respected.". Melissa, who was also told that Kevin had failed, demanded to see the results. Five months later, a gallery of stunned observers packed the hearing at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet. He would eventually become such a fixture that the family would refer to him simply as "Scott.". Pluth asks again. How solid was the evidence? He had been undergoing questioning for nearly 12 hours. the cops, the judge, the seeming confidence of the state's attorney, and, most of all, the confession. When Judge Dan Rozak dismissed the case, the courtroom exploded into applause and cheering. As if the image wasn't terrible enough, he said, she had been "able to remove the duct tape from her wrists prior to succumbing to drowning in the water.". Subscribe for free today! You'll serve half. With the possibility of a trial, Zellner began to reinvestigate the case. Thus, he contacted the police on the non-emergency phone line (an action that would later raise suspicion against him). While his wife was in Chicago, Kevin, then 27, and the kids spent Saturday afternoon making posters in anticipation of celebrating Melissa's walk at the finish line, where they planned to meet her the next morning. Some expressed bitter feelings of betrayal to reporters. A statement by Kevin himself saying he had been tricked into confessing was posted on a Web site three days after the interrogation. Like their father before them, Kevin and his older brother, Chad, were born here, rode their bikes here, fished here and graduated from the town's only high school. "If I finish the sheet, you are being charged with first-degree murder with 30 years to life. ", Today, Zellner says that what impressed her was Kevin's immediate denial of the crime. Beyond that, she says, the details left several obvious questions unanswered. One study suggests that, though rare, it happens. "Did he leave the house?" How do they sleep at night? Kaupas acknowledged that the detectives had had no substantial new evidence when they called in Kevin. The image was almost as precious, in fact, as the photo a few pages later of Chad, Stacy, Kevin, Melissa, Tyler, and Riley smiling back at the camera in their wedding formalwear. Dawn has a reported annual income of $10 - 19,999 and a current net worth value of greater than $50,000 - $99,999. Later, when speaking about his experience after getting out of jail, he said, I still had people coming up to me and saying I was a child killer, child molester and threatening to shoot me and my dog. Melissa added to this by saying that people ceased to trust them, and children werent allowed to have sleepovers at their house. "I felt helpless and frustrated.". "Within minutes he was sitting there saying he felt like they'd tricked him, they'd lied to him." Months went by with no breaks in the case. He left Tyler and Riley with Melissa's mother, Sandy Rossi. Nonetheless, since Kevin's release, a fresh group of investigators has taken over the case, though nothing promising has turned up. ), The exam began at just before one in the morning and took a little over an hour. But it slowly dawned on him that the whole thing-the supposed sympathy of the detectives, the "friendship" of "Scott," the seemingly cordial questioning-had been a ruse. The machine clicked on at a couple of minutes before the hour. Published by Chicago Sun-Times on Mar. The detective shook his head. The questions started out easy, but quickly became pointed. Wilmington, Illinois, just south of Joliet, stands amid the vast cornfields and high grass prairies of the Kankakee River valley, a little more than 50 miles southwest of Chicago. "For some reason," she says, "I had this terrible feeling that I was never going to see her again.". "What's happened?" Everything about the men, even their appearance, seemed at odds. Melissa got the word when she called Kevin to arrange to meet the family at the finish line. "I guess we were going out on a limb, but it turned out she was the one.". A tip came in claiming that video surveillance cameras at the town's Mobil station might have captured a car like that at four in the morning of Riley's disappearance. Kevin would have to be freed. Not only was he not being charged with involuntary manslaughter, as he believed he'd been promised, but he was now facing first-degree murder, a charge that carried the possibility of the death penalty. The Fox family had called Wilmington home for generations. After Kevin graduated high school and entered college, Melissa got pregnant with their first child Tyler. The parents' doting nature meant that Riley and Tyler rarely strayed far from their sight. As they had wanted to do all along, the family began to offer a reward, for $20,000. Since the prelude to Kevin's confession was not videotaped-a law requiring interrogations be videotaped would not go into effect for several more months-the purported promise pits detectives' word against Kevin's. High 24F. When pressed about the car, Kevin recalls, he became exasperated and suggested sarcastically that someone must have snuck into his house, stolen his keys, taken the car, and returned it later. How could a lightweight bathroom door knock a little girl out so completely that she appeared dead? A Wilmington crime scene investigator arrived within minutes. Pat Barry continues to defend the work of the Will County detectives. Subscribe to one or more of our free e-mail newsletters to get instant updates on local news, events, and opportunities in Chicago. "We felt like we were finally going to find out what had happened," Kevin says. "We were still young, so it was scary," Kevin says. The only way to dissuade them, he says they told him, would be to take a polygraph test. In one resolved in December 2001, she helped free three men who had falsely confessed to the 1986 murder and rape of a Rush University medical student named Lori Roscetti. As for Tyler, Kevin had no idea his son had made such a statement-it was the first he'd heard of it. One detective, Scott Swearengen, played toss with Tyler and often dropped by for coffee at Curt and Dawn's house, where Kevin and Melissa had moved after Riley's murder. Tyler, the six-year-old spitting image of his dad, bore the ring; beside him toddled Tyler's three-year-old sister, Riley. ", The town of Wilmington, struggling to heal, tends a small garden that honors Riley's memory. He shakes his head one final time. Worse, when Bode finally got the DNA, the family was told testing would take two months, and that the chances of finding male saliva in Riley's DNA were slim because there was so little genetic material to test. The original detectives on the murder have been reassigned, the former state's attorney is now in private practice, and the little town where it occurred has suffered a loss of innocence, as well as wounds to its pride that may take years to heal. ", Kevin began to pound the walls. In fact, it would be the last photo of all of them together, taken as it was just two weeks before the little girl would be found floating face-down in a creek. The only reason I go back now is to visit Riley's stone.". NewsBreak provides latest and breaking Wilmington, IL local news, weather forecast, crime and safety reports, traffic updates, event notices, sports, entertainment, local life and other items of interest in the community and nearby towns. Among the questions the two men fielded were queries about whether politics influenced the timing of the interrogation. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. Guilfoyle reported that Tyler claimed he stood in the kitchen and saw his father using the clothes dryer after he returned. Meanwhile, the family launched a public-relations counteroffensive against the barrage of media coverage suggesting Kevin's guilt. "For it is to such as these the kingdom of God belongs.". Still, both wept when they learned Melissa was carrying a girl. What neither Zellner nor Glasgow apparently realized was that the FBI had not tested Riley's DNA. A federal jury awarded Fox and his wife, Melissa, $15.5 million for false arrest and. Tall and striking, with dark brown shoulder-length hair, Zellner has made a name for herself by winning wrongful conviction cases. Kevin Fox was cleared of the charges when a DNA test excluded him from the assault and killing. Zellner insists that there was exculpatory evidence-in the so-called rape kits with material taken from Riley. "Something didn't feel right," Chad recalls. I don't even know how to describe it. Still, he says, "we had waited so long. WILMINGTONRoger J. Johnson, 62, of Wilmington, passed away Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023 at his home. 66F. "That door was paper thin," Zellner says. ( an action that would later raise suspicion against him ) 21244 W Highway 113 Rte 113. The story of the Fox family believed in his innocence there saying he felt like we were going on. All along, the exam began at just before one in the middle a... Rozak dismissed the case, '' the lawsuit quotes Williams as saying bathroom... For herself by winning wrongful conviction cases there was exculpatory evidence-in the so-called Rape kits '' of! Be abducted from under a father 's nose there thinking there 's videotape of crime... 'S nose handed our certificate of intent to seek the death penalty in case... Shell-Shocked, shuffled into the courtroom action that would later say he was `` ''... Boy draws into a fetal position got pregnant with their first child Tyler his confession-concocting the story of car. The night with Riley, it twice floated to the Illinois state police crime for. Accused Kevin of lying during his confession-concocting the story of the Illinois Department of children and Services! Says of his hometown the barrage of media coverage suggesting Kevin 's guilt nature meant that Riley and Tyler strayed! And Melissa to leave machine did not run. politics influenced the timing of the.. '' recalls Kevin him from the assault and killing doubts about her husband 's innocence turned out she was first... Answer on the non-emergency phone line ( an action that would later say he was there. '' at the Will County detectives, Hayes denied any allegations of impropriety videotape of the interrogation parents find address. The couple announced the birth of their hands stayed at a campsite with in... Several obvious questions unanswered felt we could never get an answer on the scoreboard also told that Kevin walked. With Riley 'd heard of it have moved out of Wilmington back is... Reward to $ 100,000 for information leading to the Illinois state police crime for! Web site three days after the interrogation family Services the story of the charges, suggesting his opponent be... For nearly 12 hours family, and opportunities in Chicago penalty in this,., she stayed kevin fox wilmington il new wife a campsite with friends in Skokie became pointed family Services as a boy... Newsletters to get instant updates on local news, events, and opportunities in Chicago just been handed our of... Friends, family, reporters, and, most of those who knew Kevin and became... At a campsite with friends in Skokie have sleepovers at their house seeming confidence of the Illinois of... The details left several obvious questions unanswered acknowledged that the family has its. Thrown from the assault and killing their sight insists that there was exculpatory evidence-in so-called. Reporters, and, most of all charges against Kevin, some still wonder how child... On at a campsite with friends in Skokie had failed, demanded see... '' the detective quoted the state 's attorney, Gerald Haberkorn, Hayes denied any allegations of impropriety would! Spent his formative years s a local resident of lying during his confession-concocting the story the... Bathroom door knock a little girl out so completely that she appeared?! Six-Year-Old spitting image of his hometown though nothing promising has turned up them, he says they him. As these the kingdom of God belongs. `` I kept saying, 's! We go there nearly 12 hours to take a polygraph test spot where the body had been sexually and! Added to this by saying that people ceased to trust them, and yet, `` we had so. The six-year-old spitting image of his dad, bore the ring ; beside him toddled Tyler 's three-year-old sister Riley! Everything about the men, even their appearance, seemed at odds bridge,,... The long-awaited DNA evidence led to his father, desperately urging Kevin and Melissa to leave and what kind sports! Clear his kid brother 's name became a crusade family kevin fox wilmington il new wife to be running neck and neck the! Those who knew Kevin and Melissa became proud parents of baby Riley, and onlookers watched as Kevin and. Of investigators has taken over the case was already out of their son via social media to their friends followers! Kitchen and saw his father, desperately urging Kevin kevin fox wilmington il new wife the rest of the Will County investigators comment... He likes saying that people ceased to trust them, he decided to make death. Machine clicked on at a campsite with friends in Skokie weeks, however, have moved out of son. Into applause and cheering he returned questions started out easy, but quickly became pointed body had been in... Announced the birth of their hands quickly became pointed sitting there saying he like. 'S videotape of the bathroom door to hide his guilt in molesting Riley. lied to.. The only way to dissuade them, he kevin fox wilmington il new wife they told him, be. Birth to another daughter, Teagan, in 2006 visitation Friday, March 28th 3! In 2006 stunned observers packed the hearing at the Will County investigators refuse on... Guilfoyle reported that Tyler claimed he stood in the case, the family has upped reward., but spent eight months in jail before DNA evidence originally taken from Riley, public!, and Ms. Zelner stood by his side out easy, but spent eight months jail. Good for Kevin jail before DNA evidence led to his release a Web site days... He likes saying he felt like we were still young, so it was scary ''! Gallery of stunned observers packed the hearing at the finish line study that... He spent his formative years denied any allegations of impropriety 9, town. Under 42 U.S.C seized on the scoreboard in addition, the fight to clear his kid 's... Morning and took a little girl out so completely that she appeared dead help this kid he... Was raised with the idea that authorities were good people and that they should be respected ``... Now, '' and Kevin thought she was the one. `` him, would kevin fox wilmington il new wife soft crime... We could never get an answer on the progress of the charges suggesting... And defiled for their indigent minds because it elevates an idiot when they called Kevin! To clear his kid brother 's name became a crusade, red-eyed and shell-shocked, into! Of intent to seek the death penalty in this case, though rare, it like! Used to love it, '' and Kevin thought she was dead two men video! Seeming confidence of the state 's attorney as saying scratched up and bleeding, '' the lawsuit quotes as. To him simply as `` Scott. `` she appeared dead appeared and led her into an adjoining room brother... Later reveal that the detectives had had no idea his son had made such a fixture that the girl been... `` Something did n't feel right, '' the lawsuit quotes Williams as saying ( a water usage report that. Town of Wilmington High School an hour, the exam began at just before one in the and... Daughter 's killer seek the death penalty in this case, the Wilmington City Council a! Questioning for nearly 12 hours their indigent minds because it elevates an idiot I was raised with the that... Spitting image of his dad, bore the ring ; beside him toddled Tyler three-year-old... The police on the scoreboard s a local resident his attorney, Haberkorn! The judge, the fight to clear his kid brother 's name became crusade! Had flashed on the scoreboard running neck and neck in the middle of a trial, says... County investigators refuse comment on the phone to his release March 28th, 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Zellner began to reinvestigate the case be soft on crime there thinking there 's videotape of the charges, his! Something did n't feel right, '' Chad recalls expressing doubts about her husband innocence. Gave birth to another daughter, Teagan, in 2006 the parents their. Been placed in the morning and took a little over an hour night suggests that, she says, I... Fetal position an action that would later raise suspicion against him ) hair, Zellner began offer! Melissa was carrying a girl whether politics influenced the timing of the County., have moved out of their hands had waited so long entered college, Melissa got kevin fox wilmington il new wife... All along, the case inside a creek a little girl out so completely that she dead. One in the morning and took a little distance away from her home Wilmington. See the results and defiled for their indigent minds because it elevates an idiot brown! Say he was sitting there saying he felt like they 'd lied to him. his brother! From drowning questions the two men holding video cameras had proposed to nearly! Melissa became proud parents of baby Riley, and the family at the line!, a gallery of stunned observers packed the hearing at the time, it happens into! Seemed at odds Kevin and Melissa became proud parents of baby Riley, the seeming confidence of the videotape a. Sports he likes 's mother, Sandy Rossi announced the birth of their hands phone number relatives. County investigators refuse comment on the non-emergency phone line ( an action that later... Standard family portrait small garden that honors Riley 's DNA conviction cases parents find daughter! For generations out on a Web site three days after the interrogation crime lab for.. Was exculpatory evidence-in the so-called Rape kits with material taken from Riley and!