Scott Eby 'Could Not Escape Magnitude Of His Horrible Crime': Zellner

WILMINGTON, IL —Less than three weeks before Christmas, Scott Eby, the late-night Wilmington prowler, child rapist and murderer of little 3-year-old Riley Fox, used a ligature device to suffocate himself inside his downstate prison cell at the Menard Correctional Center, autopsy reports obtained by Joliet Patch reveal.

"Scott Eby avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty, but I think in his own mind he could not escape the magnitude of his horrible crime so he ended his life," remarked suburban Chicago attorney Kathleen Zellner, who was responsible for proving that her client, Kevin Fox, was wrongfully arrested in connection with his daughter's 2004 killing, in Will County. Kevin Fox was killed in a crash in March 2023 at age 46.

At the time of his death on Dec. 6, Eby was imprisoned at the Menard Correctional Center, serving his life prison sentence for the barbaric 2004 crime. Riley was found dead in a creek not far from her home in Wilmington.

In June 2004, Eby was driving around Wilmington, burglarizing homes in the middle of the night. He burglarized a house across from Kevin Fox's place, and then he sneaked into the Fox house. When he saw Riley Fox sleeping on a living room couch, he took her with him.

Eby brought Riley to Forsythe Woods, where he sexually assaulted her. He later he told the FBI he decided to kill her after a bandana he'd worn to cover his face slipped off.

According to the autopsy findings, the Menard Correctional Center's prison staff found Eby's lifeless body hanging during the medical rounds on Wednesday, Dec. 6, around 8:40 p.m.

At the time of his death, Eby was 6-foot-2 and weighed 275 lbs. Eby was discovered inside north lower cell No. 38. Eby's cell was then secured by Department of Corrections employees and CSI were summoned to the cell where photos were taken, and Eby was checked for any injuries.

Authorities in Randolph County notified Eby's mother Sharon Eby of her son's death and "she refused to claim body due to nature of crime," the autopsy reports show.

Then, two days later, Sharon Eby changed her mind and she agreed to claim her son's body, the documents note. The autopsy was performed in St. Louis, and it detected no illegal drugs or substances within Eby's body at the time of his death.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Riley Fox's Killer, Scott Eby, Dies At Illinois Prison

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

Riley Fox Murder: Shocking New Details Being Revealed By 20/20