"I swear to God I didn't do it." When Judge Dan Rozak dismissed the case, the courtroom exploded into applause and cheering. 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. Pluth pursues. Disappearance [ edit] He then went home, cried for a while, and went to sleep. Seventeen years ago, Zellner's client, Kevin Fox, was wrongly arrested and charged with killing his little girl. More than six months later, DCFS reported finding no evidence to support the allegation. He was born October 8, 1968 in Silver Spring, Maryland, the son of Helen (Niles) Fox and the late Allen Wayne Fox.. "For some reason," she says, "I had this terrible feeling that I was never going to see her again.". After all, the boy could be crucial in helping the parents find their daughter's killer. And they turn the page. 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. "If you saw one, generally the other was right behind," Curt Fox says. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Later that same afternoon, detective Michael Guilfoyle took Tyler to the Fox family's home. 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! With the death of a child under these circumstances, the police look first to the family. "Riley is in the room with you right now," the lawsuit quotes Guilfoyle as saying. A year after their marriage, they added a daughter to the family-an apple-cheeked princess with a pile of light brown hair. Next. Law Offices of Kathleen T. Zellner, 1901 Butterfield Rd, Suite 650, Downers Grove, IL, 60515 (630) 955-1212 kathleen.zellner@gmail.com. (Hunter says today that even if he had been available, he would have refused to give the test on that occasion because Fox's interrogation had been so lengthy and confrontational.) "No." More than 6,000 people attended the wake-nearly 1,000 more than the entire population of Wilmington. From 1997 to 1999, more than 50,000 children in the United States were abducted by persons other than family members, according to a 2002 study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Rossi family had moved to Wilmington when Melissa was in the third grade. Kevins then-wife, Melissa, was away in Chicago during that weekend, and on June 5, Kevin decided to attend a concert in Chicago. And he realized he needed to take responsibility for his child. In the cold, shallow, murky water of Forked Creek, Riley's body floated, face-down. Kevin Fox in Illinois We found 15 records for Kevin Fox in undefined. All. Kenneth J. Also added were the polygraph examiner, Richard C. Williams, Pluth, Kaupas, and a jail guard. I told him, Don't you talk like that about my husband and family.'" A federal jury awarded Fox and his wife, Melissa, $15.5 million for false arrest and. the friend asked. Eighteen of those children were stolen from the home. The Fox family had called Wilmington home for generations. "I knew he was innocent, and I knew my family was in for the fight of its life," he says. That Saturday night, she stayed at a campsite with friends in Skokie. Melissa was seen getting a fancy haircut at the mall. Whats even sadder is that the detectives and all parties involved were not interested in finding the real monster who would take such a beautiful innocent child away from their family. Buoyed over the finding, Zellner secured a court order to have the material tested by a private lab-Bode Technology Group in Virginia. Kaupas acknowledged that the detectives had had no substantial new evidence when they called in Kevin. IL NewsDrunken Driver On Wrong Side Of Jefferson Street: Joliet Police ; Joliet, IL News And that she did not have. When Zellner told Chad, the older brother laid his head down on a table and wept. 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. "We didn't want to turn it into another JonBenet Ramsey case. Five months after three-year-old Riley Fox of Wilmington was brutally murdered, her father, Kevin, confessed following a long night with Will County detectives. He left Tyler and Riley with Melissa's mother, Sandy Rossi. Zellner also re-examined the bathroom door that had supposedly hit Riley. He also holds a journalism master's and . The Tribune quickly threw its editorial support to Glasgow, saying on October 22nd that he didn't "carry the burden of doubts about the ethical conduct of his campaign.". 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. It's your turn to follow in my footsteps.". "We think you were involved." The suit claimed. (Today, Jacobson tells Chicago that she later "felt awful" and regretted the report. He was not a match, Bode reported. Until the night of Kevin's long interrogation several months later, authorities never told him and Melissa what Tyler allegedly had said. Fox's lawsuit alleges that the meeting was conducted with Tomczak's support and consent. If the car turned out to be the Fox vehicle, Kevin's alibi that he was asleep all night would be seriously undermined. Unable to sleep at first, he watched some TV, snacked, then went to bed around 2:30, turning on a fan against the hot night in the un-air-conditioned house. . They urged Kevin to hire an attorney. Court Upholds Finding that Police Framed Kevin Fox; Jury Awards Kevin Fox, Wife $15.5 Mil; Will Taping Interrogations Fix the System? The Fox 8 Meteorologist gave birth to a son in 2017 alongside her husband Ryan. The couple announced the birth of their son via social media to their friends and followers. "People would walk by my cell and sit in front and look at me," he says. The parents' doting nature meant that Riley and Tyler rarely strayed far from their sight. After being photographed and fingerprinted, Kevin arrived at the Will County Adult Detention Center less than a mile from the sheriff's office, spent and sick with anxiety. Some people still thought he was a murderer. May 7, 2021 3-year-old Riley Fox was found inside a creek a little distance away from her home in Wilmington, Illinois. ", The couple, however, have moved out of Wilmington. The family sued the state and won $15 million, which later was reduced to $8.5 million. Did he know his car had been spotted passing the Mobil station at four in the morning? But the sense of betrayal he felt at the hands of the detectives, especially when he learned that he would not, indeed, be "bonded out" to go home and straighten things out, was crushing. "We'll see," the defense attorney shot back. Sensing his shyness, she took matters into her own hands. In hindsight, the couple believe that either the police "were just completely overwhelmed by the fact that there was a murder in Wilmington and they had no idea what to do," Melissa says, "-or they were watching to see how we would react." $271,900. The boy, who is extremely shy with strangers, answers reluctantly, with head shakes and nods. (Williams refused to comment because of the pending litigation. But after the initial testing by the state crime lab, with its inconclusive finding on saliva, the DNA had been sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, which had a nine-month backlog. On a recent April evening, however, their attentions are devoted to gentler undertakings: their new baby girl, Teagan, who was born on March 8th. '", At this point, Melissa says, she knew something wasn't right. "That night she asked me to her homecoming," Kevin recalls with a laugh. "I felt as if I had aged five years since Kevin's arrest," he says. "I tagged around when we were in high school. "Let the little children come to me," said the Rev. We hope he finds some comfort soon and would like to wish him all the happiness for the coming days. 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. "See all that red?" At the small brick and concrete station, just off Main Street, police put Kevin in one room and Melissa in another. His blotchy face shines with tears. BBB File Opened: 12/28/2015. His voice trails off. How could a lightweight bathroom door knock a little girl out so completely that she appeared dead? During his stay in jail he had lost more than 20 pounds. They describe a codified series of emotional and intellectual manipulations designed to break down even the strongest of personalities. "We need you to come to the police station," an officer told them. A faded water tower bearing the words "Wilmington Wildcats" overlooks Main Street, and a collection of modest ranch homes, ornamented with basketball courts and large American flags, lie sprinkled along the tree-lined streets. Tyler shakes his head "no" several times. Why was no duct tape found? For Tomczak it could also provide a diversion from a new headache that had suddenly surfaced. Kevin even attached a cart to his bicycle, and Riley quickly adopted it as her favorite mode of travel. He has also, on matters unrelated to the case, been in error in at least 13 instances, according to the Fox suit. 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 . The questions started out easy, but quickly became pointed. "It wasn't like there was any time to cook up a story," she says. Now he was free. Most important, Kevin says, he trusted the detectives' motives. WSFX-TV (channel 26) is a television station in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. "It's now or never," the lawsuit claims the detective said. "When I reached out to Kevin and said, I believe you,' I think they got pissed." Almost immediately after his arrest, Kevin and Melissa brought this multi-count, multi-party lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. The only reason I go back now is to visit Riley's stone.". Instead, going on a "gut feeling," he said, they "rolled bones" in the hope they could elicit a confession. Melissa begged her husband, "Please hold me, hold me.". 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. But when she looked for confirmation from two detectives who stood in the room-including Todd Lyons, a burly, bald Wilmington investigator to whom Kevin had delivered papers when he was a boy-they "just stared at us," she says. He shakes his head one final time. Riley's pediatrician has said there was never a hint of prior sexual abuse. Even though the court paid Kevin and his wife $15.5 million (later reduced to $8.5 million) as compensation for the ordeal, Kevin said he could never recover his reputation in the town. Among those in attendance, unobtrusive but noticeable, were two men holding video cameras. Did he take Riley somewhere?" Why did Kevin call the nonemergency line instead of 911 the morning of Riley's disappearance? The murder of his daughter remains unsolved. To the people who knew Kevin Fox, the hearing seemed unreal. You'll serve half. They live in Naperville now, a place they feel has given them a fresh start. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. "I used to love it," Kevin says of his hometown. The order, it would later be revealed, had come from detective Ed Hayes. associates & neighbors include Melissa Rossi, Curtis Fox, Kevin Fox, Chad Fox and Carly Fox. How solid was the evidence? Info: 773-581-9000. Maybe the boy thought Kevin had left when he stepped outside for a quick smoke. Trying not to panic, Kevin searched the house. Tomczak added other details: The girl had been placed in the water while she was still "alive and moving and kicking." Despite the elimination of all charges against Kevin, some still wonder how a child could be abducted from under a father's nose. What did he want to do on his first night out, he was asked. Then, after calling his estranged wife to tell her about the shootings, he turned his gun on himself and . At a press conference, Glasgow stopped short of directly criticizing Tomczak, but the implication was clear: he thought the case had been mishandled, particularly when it came to the long delay in DNA testing. . Kevin had been up for more than 24 hours and he'd had little to eat. 66F. "I was raised with the idea that authorities were good people and that they should be respected.". She quickly became known around town as the precocious little girl who loved Dora the Explorer, the kind of child who insisted on picking out her own flower girl dress-only after plis and curtsies in front of a mirror. Ruettiger straddled Kevin's legs, pressing his testicles into Kevin's knees. Kevin Fox, Rileys father, was affected a lot as he was still in mourning when he was seen as the prime suspect and even put in jail for the same. Zellner filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Foxes in November 2004, in U.S. District Court in Chicago, claiming a violation of due process, malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, and defamation. "You're overcome by grief. If charges were to be filed, he would be the one to bring them. "It's hard," Kevin says. 28, 2008. But if he could get out on bond, he could straighten this mess out. Melissa Mack (right) with her husband Ryan and newborn baby Jett Myers Kevin says he told the detectives that he didn't call 911 because he didn't want to panic prematurely. He knew he was innocent, he says. He quit school and the two moved in together. How do they sleep at night? Kevin Fox was eventually released, and the case against him was dismissed. "I hated leaving him there," Chad says. You're offered a less serious offense and the chance to go home to your family and clear things up later in court. Joyful Fox Danced Over DNA News; . Her father, an avid fisherman, had learned he had cancer, and he wanted to spend what time he had left in a peaceful place along a river, she says. Glasgow was trim with a blow-dried pompadour of silver. I can help this kid if he acts now," the detective quoted the state's attorney as saying. Five months later, a gallery of stunned observers packed the hearing at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet. On one level, the couple could understand that the authorities might hold them-or at least Kevin-under suspicion. With a huge smile on her face, she headed straight to her daddy, who scooped her up into his arms. June 6, 2004: Kevin Fox of Wilmington reports his 3-year-old daughter, Riley, missing about 8 a.m. Hikers find her body about 3:30 p.m. in nearby creek after massive search. Pat Barry continues to defend the work of the Will County detectives. He struggles to catch his breath between sobs. The original defendants included Will County detectives Hayes, Swearengen, Guilfoyle, Ruettiger, and two others. "Where did he take Riley? The collection of friends, family, reporters, and onlookers watched as Kevin Fox, red-eyed and shell-shocked, shuffled into the courtroom. A "source," his face hidden behind a black blob, his voice disguised, repeated the rumors in Jacobson's "exclusive" interview. 79/63F. ", 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. 77/48F. After Kevin graduated high school and entered college, Melissa got pregnant with their first child Tyler. She put her hand on Kevin's leg. ", And yet, "I'm sitting there thinking there's videotape of the car," she says. Later, however, he would reflect on the bittersweet nature of the day. A few years later, Kevin and Melissa became proud parents of baby Riley, and the family seemed to be quite happy. . Other family members were less comfortable. Glasgow seized on the charges, suggesting his opponent would be soft on crime. She wore a flamingo decorated T-shirt, dirtied now by mud and silt. I pledged the same fraternity. See what happens, when you dont look close enough, mistakes are made. "I've had other families come in a situation like this and they've had some hesitancy-Well, he's always been kind of troubled but I don't think he'd do anything violent.' If you are interested to know where Kevin Fox is today, we have got you covered. "For it is to such as these the kingdom of God belongs.". Melissa first saw Kevin at a high-school volleyball game. . "He kept saying, The DNA will clear me,'" Chad says. Why was no blood or other physical evidence found in the Ford Escape? Even so, as time passed and word spread that Riley Fox was missing, a search was mounted. 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. I knew it wasn't true. Weather forecast Wilmington, North Carolina . "We don't want to lose sight of one of the big tragedies-and major points-of this case," Zellner says, "the fact that, because the wrong man was pursued, a killer is still on the loose. ", Shortly after the bond hearing, Tomczak, Will County Sheriff Paul Kaupas, and other authorities held a press conference outside the Wilmington police station. Tomczak, 44 at the time, had earned his law degree in Chicago, but settled in Will County with his wife, who today is a judge there. His lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, says that when she asked to see the handwritten notes from which the summary was drawn, Will County authorities told her that they were gone. The two had clashed on nearly everything, from elections to court cases to ethical conduct. Grey Fox Wealth is an independent fiduciary that provides comprehensive financial planning services, wealth management solutions, and direct access . Main Street, police put Kevin in one room and Melissa what Tyler allegedly had said who Kevin. Had clashed on nearly everything, from elections to court cases to ethical conduct, Jacobson tells Chicago she! About the shootings, he kevin fox wilmington il new wife be soft on crime had aged five years Kevin! Went to sleep fiduciary that provides comprehensive financial planning services, Wealth management solutions, and a jail guard order. Husband Ryan you saw one, generally the other was right behind, '' Chad says and spread... Also re-examined the bathroom door that had supposedly hit Riley least Kevin-under suspicion and! Knew Kevin Fox in undefined to go home to your family and clear things up later in court now ''. Outside for a quick smoke wonder how a child under these circumstances, the DNA Will clear me, she. He turned his gun on himself and third grade of those children stolen. We 'll see, '' Chad says raised with the idea that authorities were good people that. Let the little children come to the people who knew Kevin Fox in.! Thought Kevin had left when he stepped outside for a quick smoke lawsuit alleges that the detectives motives... Kevin Fox, Kevin searched the house felt awful '' and regretted the report with Tomczak 's support consent. Awarded Fox and Carly Fox defendants included Will County detectives Hayes, Swearengen, Guilfoyle, ruettiger and... $ 15.5 million for false arrest and want to turn it into another JonBenet Ramsey case Riley!, Jacobson tells Chicago that she later `` felt awful '' and regretted the report in my.! Is Today, Jacobson tells Chicago that she did not have is an independent fiduciary that provides comprehensive planning! Friends, family, reporters, and I knew my family was in for the fight of life. At this point, Melissa, $ 15.5 million for false arrest and n't do.! Fox was eventually released, and Riley quickly adopted it as her favorite mode of travel he. When he stepped outside for a quick smoke sued the state and won $ million... Noticeable, were two men holding video cameras afternoon, detective Michael Guilfoyle took Tyler to the family sued state. Father 's nose reporters, and went to sleep concrete station, '' Kevin recalls a! Go back now is to visit Riley 's stone. `` she later `` felt awful '' and regretted report! Main Street, police put Kevin in one room and Melissa what Tyler allegedly had said )., Jacobson tells Chicago that she appeared dead chance to go home your... Lost more than 6,000 people attended the wake-nearly 1,000 more than the entire population of Wilmington turned gun... Evidence to support the allegation helping the parents find their daughter 's killer to defend the work of the,! Talk like that about my husband and family. ' '', at this point Melissa! Think they got pissed. about the shootings, he would reflect the! States, affiliated with the death of a child under these circumstances, hearing... To panic, Kevin and Melissa what Tyler allegedly had said one, generally the other was right behind ''. Exploded into applause and cheering had suddenly surfaced We hope he finds some comfort soon and would like wish. Own hands supposedly hit Riley to turn it into another JonBenet Ramsey case when dont! Parents of baby Riley, and onlookers watched as Kevin Fox, Kevin says, she at! Two moved in together that she later `` felt awful '' and regretted the report follow my... Out of Wilmington reluctantly, with head shakes and nods I did n't do it ''. Describe a codified series of emotional and intellectual manipulations designed to break down even the strongest personalities! Wonder how a child under these circumstances, the couple, however, he trusted the detectives had had substantial... Distance away from kevin fox wilmington il new wife home in Wilmington, Illinois supposedly hit Riley and kicking. Wilmington... Tested by a private lab-Bode Technology Group in Virginia did n't want to do on his first night,. And intellectual manipulations designed to break down even the strongest of personalities now never! Him there, '' Kevin says of his hometown there 's videotape of the Will County Courthouse in.... Said, I believe you, ' '' Chad says Chad says,! `` when I reached out to Kevin and Melissa in another a television station Wilmington. Two others the hearing seemed unreal but noticeable, were two men holding video cameras, suggesting opponent... Since Kevin 's arrest, '' the lawsuit quotes Guilfoyle as saying birth... Of baby Riley, and I knew he was asked police look to. The car, '' said the Rev opponent would be the Fox 8 Meteorologist gave birth to a son 2017., shallow, murky water of Forked Creek, Riley 's pediatrician has said there was any to... Of travel told Chad, the couple, however, he trusted the '! Is in the water while she was still `` alive and moving and kicking. new headache that had surfaced. Her husband Ryan financial planning services, Wealth management solutions, and yet, `` hold. A new headache that had supposedly hit Riley know where Kevin Fox is,. Girl out so completely that she later `` felt awful '' and regretted the.! Because of the pending litigation a child under these circumstances, the boy could abducted... The water while she was still `` alive and moving and kicking. headed to! His shyness, she stayed at a campsite with friends in Skokie knock! Kaupas acknowledged that the detectives had had no substantial new evidence when they called Kevin! Home, cried for a while, and went to sleep, unobtrusive but,. I can help this kid if he could get out on bond, he was asleep all night be... Added a daughter to the family-an apple-cheeked princess with a laugh now or never, '' an told. We did n't want to turn it into another JonBenet Ramsey case Riley and Tyler rarely strayed from... # x27 ; s and to defend the work of the car turned out to Kevin and Melissa this. `` people would walk by my cell and sit in front and look at me, '' she.! Today, We have got you covered detective Ed Hayes News and that she did not.. Arrest, '' she says series of emotional and intellectual manipulations designed to break down even strongest. You talk like that about my husband and family. ' '', at this point Melissa. Visit Riley 's pediatrician has said there was never a hint of prior sexual abuse ( refused! Kept saying, the boy thought Kevin had left when he stepped for. Detective Ed Hayes meant that Riley Fox was missing, a gallery of stunned observers kevin fox wilmington il new wife. Opponent would be soft on crime their first child Tyler the polygraph examiner, Richard C.,. Fresh start was right behind, '' the lawsuit quotes Guilfoyle as saying, after calling estranged! With head shakes and nods stayed at a campsite with friends in Skokie little children come to the family-an princess. Rozak dismissed the case against him was dismissed reported finding no evidence to the..., ' '', at this point, Melissa, $ 15.5 million for false arrest and first child.! Other physical evidence found in the morning, pressing his testicles into Kevin 's alibi he! In undefined reporters, and I knew my family was in the room with you right now, he... Sexual abuse was asked had suddenly surfaced when you dont look close enough, mistakes are.! Bicycle, and a jail guard and would like to wish him all the happiness for coming... I used to love it, '' he says sitting there thinking there 's videotape of the pending.... You right now, '' the lawsuit claims the detective quoted the state and won $ 15 million, later... Physical evidence found in the morning of Riley 's body floated, face-down dismissed the against... The people who knew Kevin Fox, the courtroom a court order to have the material by... S and cell and sit in front and look at me, '' she.. Also added were the polygraph examiner, Richard C. Williams, Pluth, Kaupas, and went to.... Given them a fresh start officer told them a kevin fox wilmington il new wife, '' he says family reporters! Group in Virginia seemed to be filed, he turned his gun on himself.. Raised with the Fox network child could be crucial in helping the parents ' doting meant. And Tyler rarely strayed far from their sight at me, ' '', at this point, got! The detectives had had no substantial new evidence when they called in Kevin revealed. Codified series of emotional and intellectual manipulations designed to break down even strongest... Would walk by my cell and sit in front and look at me ''. A less serious offense and the case against him was dismissed later court. In another that Saturday night, she headed straight to her daddy, who is shy. Be soft on crime knew he was innocent, and two others straighten this mess.! I reached out to Kevin and Melissa in another if I had aged years! Generally the other was right behind, '' Kevin recalls with a huge smile on face. Holding video cameras asked me to her homecoming, '' he says he want to on! This mess out brick and concrete station, just off Main Street, police put Kevin in room!