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A breakthrough has been made in a nearly 30-year-old case involving the kidnapping and murder of a young Kentucky girl. This week, a federal indictment was issued against a 62-year-old man already serving time in prison.
On Thursday, Robert Scott Froberg was formally charged at the federal level for the 1996 kidnapping of 7-year-old Morgan Violi. U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner remarked on the case, calling it a tragedy that has “haunted” the community for decades, as reported by NBC.
“Morgan’s kidnapping and murder irrevocably altered her family’s life,” Bumgarner said. “Her family has been burdened with lingering questions: who, how, and why. They have yearned for answers and for closure.”
The charges are based on the successful recovery and analysis of DNA evidence from a stolen van used in the crime.
Forensic testing, which linked Froberg to the kidnapping, played a crucial role in the indictment, according to Bumgarner. The advancements in forensic science were instrumental in bringing about these charges.
Morgan disappeared in the summer of 1996 from the Colony Apartments in Bowling Green, while playing outside with a 6-year-old friend.
According to a complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, a witness observed the abduction and provided authorities with a description of a maroon Chevrolet van.
Violi’s remains were not discovered until three months later, found in a wooded area near a barn in Tennessee.
WDRB reported that during an interview conducted at a Montgomery, Alabama, prison, Froberg gave law enforcement the details of what happened.
Froberg claimed he had how he escaped from an Alabama prison during detail work in July 1996. He then traveled to Dayton, Ohio, where his parents resided, to steal a vehicle.
While at large, he stopped in Bowling Green to purchase drugs.
Court records show Froberg admitted that during the stop, he kidnapped Morgan and ultimately strangled the 7-year-old and abandoned her naked body in the woods in White House, Tennessee.
“Froberg admitted he ultimately caused Morgan’s death in that van,” Bumgarner said.
Froberg is currently being held at Kilby Infirmary, a prison hospital in Alabama, where he had already been serving time for robbery and escape.
Given the nature of the federal charge, Froberg could face a maximum penalty of either life in prison or the death penalty, according to NBC.
[Feature Photo: Morgan Violi/Handout]