Kevin Fox, 46, 'Overcame Tremendous Adversity During His Lifetime'

WILMINGTON, IL — The funeral service for 46-year-old Kevin Fox, who was born in Joliet and spent much of his life in Wilmington, graduating from Wilmington High School in 1995, took place Saturday afternoon in Arkansas at Dardanelle First Assembly of God Church.

On Monday, Fox was killed around 4 p.m. in a head-on crash in Arkansas. A 47-year-old motorist veered into Fox's lane along the two-lane state highway, killing both drivers.

In 2004, Fox's wrongful arrest by the Will County Sheriff's Department made national news.

Fox was unjustly accused of murdering his 3-year-old daughter, Riley Fox, in the summer of 2004, by detectives for Will County.

After the arrest, world-famous wrongful conviction attorney Kathleen Zellner of DuPage County represented Fox. She convinced the Will County State's Attorney's Office that Fox was innocent of his daughter's death.

In 2010, the real Wilmington child killer, Scott Eby, confessed and was later convicted of killing Riley. Now 51 years old, Eby remains in the Illinois Department of Corrections, serving a life sentence at the Menard Correctional Center.

The Cornwell Funeral Home and River Valley Cremations in Dardanelle, Arkansas is handling Kevin Fox's funeral arrangements. Kevin Fox was currently living in Dardanelle, a small city of less than 5,000 people, about 80 miles northwest of Little Rock.

According to his obituary:

Kevin Fox owned a thriving business, Fox Painting. He had moved to Arkansas in 2016 and lived with his wife, Carly, and their children.

"Kevin did anything for his kids, as well as wanting his children to know that they are loved and to live life to their fullest… just like their Dad," his obituary noted. "He loved fishing, concerts especially Dave Matthews Band, cheering for the Chicago White Sox or Bears ... He overcame tremendous adversity during his lifetime in awe-inspiring fashion, setting an example to never give up and embrace the goodness of life."

To read the full obituary and to sign the online guestbook for Kevin Fox, visit the website for The Cornwell Funeral Home and River Valley Cremations.

Related Patch coverage:

Kevin Fox, 46, Father Of Riley Fox, Dies In Head-On Crash