Riley Fox’s parents say P.I. who’s suing them lied about FBI ties
BY JON SEIDEL jseidel@suntimes.com December 15, 2011 10:32AM
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Updated: December 15, 2011 12:10PM
Kevin and Melissa Fox, parents of slain 3-year-old Riley Fox, say the owner of an Oak Forest security firm lied to them about having 30 years of experience working for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
National Investigators & Security Agency Inc. sued the Foxes in September, claiming the family never paid nearly $70,000 owed for the investigation of the Wilmington girl’s murder.
The Foxes’ attorney, Kathleen Zellner, asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit this week and attached an affidavit from Melissa Fox.
It says Melissa Fox wanted the Will County state’s attorney to bring in the FBI to investigate Riley’s murder, but the FBI wasn’t called. Melissa Fox said she then met National Investigators President Richard Grove. She said Grove claimed to have been trained by the FBI and have worked for the agency, and that’s why she signed a contract with his company to investigate Riley’s murder.
Zellner also filed an affidavit from former National Investigators employee Carlos Rodriguez.
He said Grove told the “20/20” TV news program that he was a retired FBI agent during interviews about the Fox case, but a producer later asked for a meeting with Grove and Rodriguez to address “inconsistencies.”
During that meeting, Rodriguez said, Grove admitted to “20/20” he’d never been an FBI agent. Rodriguez said he didn’t know Grove was lying about the experience until then.
Grove did not immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday.
Riley Fox was taken from her home and found dead in a creek outside Wilmington in 2004. Her father, Kevin Fox, was charged in her death but released in 2005 based on DNA evidence.
Former neighbor and convicted sex offender Scott Eby is now serving life in prison after pleading guilty in 2010 to killing the girl.
