Location of This Business. They tricked me.' "I guess we were going out on a limb, but it turned out she was the one.". Around 2:15, he went to the bathroom and swung the door open quickly, striking Riley and knocking her down. "If I finish the sheet, you are being charged with first-degree murder with 30 years to life. "Hurry back. Local 630-955-1212 | Toll . Corke is a Harvard University Kennedy School of Government graduate and was recognized as a Littauer Fellow for his devotion to public service, leadership, and academic achievement. You're put into a cramped room and subjected to an unusually long interrogation. ", They were greeted at the door by Swearengen. Tomczak added other details: The girl had been placed in the water while she was still "alive and moving and kicking." The Fox family expressed staunch support of Kevin. ", The couple, however, have moved out of Wilmington. A preliminary report indicated no signs of foreign DNA-with one possible exception: a test for saliva in her vagina came back "inconclusive.". Among the allegations was that the father had made illegal contributions to his son's campaign. Kevin and Melissa were high school sweethearts, and through they fell out for a bit after Melissa got pregnant for the first time, they soon moved in together and gave birth to a beautiful boy, Tyler. But we feel closer to her when we go there. Experts on interrogation and false confessions say that's not uncommon. On one level, the couple could understand that the authorities might hold them-or at least Kevin-under suspicion. But after briefly talking to one lawyer, Kevin dismissed the idea. "I had never even met him before and he was just screaming in my face. The girl's body lay in a small polished white casket with stainless steel handles. Despite the elimination of all charges against Kevin, some still wonder how a child could be abducted from under a father's nose. He would eventually become such a fixture that the family would refer to him simply as "Scott.". The next day, Kevin Fox's DNA was compared with the sample. He shakes his head one final time. By the afternoon, more than 500 people were scouring the area, some on horseback, others on bicycles or all-terrain vehicles. Back to Top. An autopsy would later reveal that the girl had been sexually abused and probably died from drowning. 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. ", By now, Melissa's brother had arrived at the jail, as had Kevin's father. According to that report, Tyler became much more specific and descriptive. At last, eight days later, Zellner stood near a fax machine in Glasgow's office. He wore a red jump suit and was shackled at the legs and hands. ABC Desperate to find out what happened to her daughter, Melissa said she reached out to the detectives every day and that they assured her they were investigating the case thoroughly. Zellner insists that there was exculpatory evidence-in the so-called rape kits with material taken from Riley. When you see your daughter dead, with dirt and mud on her face . Meanwhile, the mystery of what happened to Riley Fox remains. The order, it would later be revealed, had come from detective Ed Hayes. Set just off a playground around the corner from the house where she disappeared, the garden includes a statue of a young girl with butterflies alighting on her raised hands. This gruesome detail helped form the basis for the death penalty charge. The Rossi family had moved to Wilmington when Melissa was in the third grade. While I was very interested in reading this well-written story; it breaks my heart to think of the Fox family losing their daughter and then on top of such a nightmare, the family has to be tortured even more! Some people still thought he was a murderer. Zellner also re-examined the bathroom door that had supposedly hit Riley. About a mile away as the crow flies, a Wilmington mother and daughter had decided to search Forsythe Woods, a sprawling forest preserve with dense growth cut by a tributary of the Kankakee River called Forked Creek. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. In a case that saw numerous twists and even a false arrest, justice was finally delivered when the perpetrator was caught and made to pay for his crimes. "Are you kidding me?" Suspicion hung over her family as time went by. "I told my mom that they should not answer any questions. Kevin was shocked beyond words when the police recovered Rileys body but tried his best to assist in the investigation. Even so, as time passed and word spread that Riley Fox was missing, a search was mounted. A self-described small-town boy from Wilmington, Illinois, he was there to act as best man for his older brother, Chad. Previously, he was a national news correspondent based in Washington, D.C. for NBC News from 2004-2008. He recalled that his father "took Riley somewhere" during the night. 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. Three-year-old Riley Fox of Wilmington, Illinois, was kidnapped from her home early in the morning on June 6, 2004, as her brother and father slept nearby. He has also, on matters unrelated to the case, been in error in at least 13 instances, according to the Fox suit. He took his friend and Melissas brother along while leaving the children in the care of Melissas mother. "If someone was abusing my child, I would have known about it. What about DNA testing? Melissa Fox is the mother of Riley fox and the then-wife of Kevin Fox. It's your turn to follow in my footsteps.". Dawn has a reported annual income of $10 - 19,999 and a current net worth value of greater than $50,000 - $99,999. The boy weeps. A federal jury awarded Fox and his wife, Melissa, $15.5 million for false arrest and. The timing of the charges also seemed curious, coming just six days before a tight election for state's attorney between Tomczak, the incumbent, and a bitter rival, James Glasgow. Again, this was the first he'd heard of it. The Kevin Fox they knew was a wonderful father, devoted to his wife and son and daughter. Riley Fox Riley Fox (March 31, 2001 - June 6, 2004) was a 3-year-old girl from Wilmington, Illinois, who was murdered on June 6, 2004. Melissa, meanwhile, was led into a conference room where, Swearengen told her, detective Guilfoyle would be along shortly to ask a few questions. 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. Wilmington, Illinois - June 6, 2004 On the weekend of June 6, 2004, Melissa Fox and a group of friends participated in the AVON Walk for Breast Cancer in Chicago, where she stayed for two nights. "But she was right.". "Where did he take Riley? She adored her father. While much of his work there involved coverage of the Bush Administration as a member of . Also, Tomczak alleged during Kevin's initial hearing that "the autopsy report indicated [Riley] was alive and struggling when placed in the water." Finally, Kevin claims in the suit, he was shown pictures of his dead daughter, her mouth still covered with duct tape, nude from the waist down, taken moments after she had been pulled from the creek. Indeed, he had promised to press ahead with the death penalty. May 7, 2021 3-year-old Riley Fox was found inside a creek a little distance away from her home in Wilmington, Illinois. He looks away. Within moments, Swearengen appeared and led her into an adjoining room. The timing was less than ideal for the couple. Everything about the men, even their appearance, seemed at odds. 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. Kevin's knees buckled. Also unbeknownst to Kevin and Melissa, the police were pursuing another lead that might point toward Kevin. ", The couple held hands as they made their way across the parking lot to the Will County sheriff's office in Joliet at about 7:30 that night. Zellner is such a bad ass!!! He left Tyler and Riley with Melissa's mother, Sandy Rossi. The estranged couple was in the middle of a . That night, Kevin drove to Chicago, too, to attend a concert with a friend and one of Melissa's brothers. Almost immediately after his arrest, Kevin and Melissa brought this multi-count, multi-party lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. The entire time, detective Edward Hayes, who would become the lead detective on the case, watches from the other side of a one-way mirror. "We felt like we were finally going to find out what had happened," Kevin says. 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. ", The town of Wilmington, struggling to heal, tends a small garden that honors Riley's memory. "We think you know more than you're telling us," Kevin says the detective told him. "You don't have much time," Hayes warned. Case closed. TueWedThuFriSat. But because so many people had called with similar observations about the Foxes' spending habits, the station decided it couldn't ignore the rumors.). You're told there is overwhelming evidence against you, including a failed polygraph. 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. Before that, she was a television news reporter for ABC and FOX affiliates in North Carolina and Illinois. 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. Judge James Carroll Fox, 90, of Wilmington, NC, passed away March 23 rd at home surrounded by his loving wife and family. Great article. In addition, Corke serves as a recurring guest-anchor on FOX News @ Night (weeknights . "And wondering, Why would they lie to me?" Case closed. Absolutely not, Kaupas said. 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. After a brief reunion with Melissa and Tyler, Kevin emerged from the jail with his arms raised in triumph and stood before a mob scene of cameras and well-wishers. Advertisement Read more on Chicago Sun-Times the cops, the judge, the seeming confidence of the state's attorney, and, most of all, the confession. "I hated leaving him there," Chad says. Chad Fox looked on the rumors as confirmation that Kevin-still not represented by a lawyer-was a suspect, perhaps the only suspect. Trending. Pat Barry continues to defend the work of the Will County detectives. 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