Riley Fox's mom: Botched 2004 investigation 'beyond just stupidity'

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-0618-eby-hearing-20100617,0,2170677.story

Meanwhile, man accused of killing 3-year-old girl pleads not guilty

By Steve Schmadeke, Tribune reporter

8:25 p.m. CDT, June 17, 2010

The man accused of the rape and murder of 3-year-old Riley Fox was silent as his attorney entered a not guilty plea on Thursday, but the slain girl's mother continued to chastise the investigators who botched the 2004 case.

"It's beyond just stupidity," said Melissa Fox, Riley's mother, outside the Joliet courthouse. "Of course we're angry — we're all angry."

Will County sheriff's investigators originally charged Kevin Fox, the girl's father, ignoring evidence that included a pair of shoes with Eby's name on them recovered near the crime scene. Fox was released after eight months in jail after DNA testing cleared him. He and his wife later won an $8 million lawsuit, but the case remained unsolved until the FBI got involved.

Scott Eby, a convicted burglar and rapist, was charged last month after DNA evidence linked him to the crime.

"They had so much evidence right there," Melissa Fox said. "It seems like they had the pieces to the puzzle right in front of them, but they created evidence against Kevin instead."