Riley Fox’s father rewards tipster who led to her killer
BY JON SEIDEL Sun-Times Media jseidel@suntimes.com February 3, 2012 11:08AM
Melissa (left) and Kevin Fox. Sun-Times file photo
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Updated: March 5, 2012 8:04AM
The father of murdered 3-year-old Riley Fox has rewarded the anonymous tipster who helped identify his daughter’s killer.
Kevin Fox attorney Kathleen Zellner won’t name the recipient, nor the amount of the reward. But she said the money was only paid after Fox learned why it took the person five years to lead investigators to Scott Eby.
“She was under a lot of pressure,” Zellner said of the tipster. “(Eby) had attempted to kill her by setting her trailer on fire.”
Kevin Fox was originally charged with his daughter’s murder after she was found dead in Wilmington in 2004. He could have faced the death penalty, but he was released in 2005 based on DNA evidence. Eby was charged in her death about five years later, and the convicted sex offender got life in prison after pleading guilty.
The FBI has said Eby’s ex-girlfriend, Trisha Kiefer, led them to him. And though the agency gave her a $10,000 reward, the Foxes resisted paying her the $100,000 they’d offered.
It’s not clear whether the Foxes have now changed their mind about Kiefer. But Zellner said they don’t want to discourage people from coming forward with information in other murder cases.
“You want people to come forward with tips,” Zellner said. “If a reward’s offered, you want it to be paid.”
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