Nearly three decades after the tragic abduction and death of 7-year-old Morgan Violi, federal charges have finally been filed against the man accused of the crime. Robert Scott Froberg, 61, who is currently serving a separate sentence in the Alabama Department of Corrections, has been charged with kidnapping for the July 1996 kidnapping of Morgan, who was taken from her Bowling Green, Kentucky home and found dead months later.
The shocking revelations in the case have come after years of tireless investigation by local authorities, the FBI and advances in forensic technology. The criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky details how Froberg allegedly abducted Morgan while she was playing with her sisters and friends at the Colony Apartments.
The investigation gained momentum when the FBI Forensics Lab matched fibers found in Morgan’s hair to a seat cushion from a stolen van seen at the kidnapping site. But it was not until recent advances in DNA processing that new evidence directly linked Froberg to the crime. The FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database allowed investigators to match Froberg’s DNA to evidence collected from the stolen van, which had been in storage for decades.
The breakthrough came after years of hard work in the 1990s regarding Froberg’s whereabouts, including his connection to a deceased Alabama Department of Corrections nurse. Investigators learned that Froberg had escaped from a Pennsylvania prison in July 1996 by stealing a maroon Chevrolet van from Ohio before heading south. He passed through Bowling Green, where he saw Morgan and kidnapped her. The little girl was found dead in White House, Tennessee on October 20, 1996.
Froberg’s arrest in February 2024 followed an intensive investigation, which included a confession. According to the affidavit, Froberg admitted that Morgan was crying and screaming as they left Bowling Green. He lied to her and said he was taking her to her father to calm her down. Tragically, Froberg then told investigators that she strangled Morgan with a handkerchief, resulting in her death.
The case against Froberg marks a significant development in a long-unsolved case, and the community, along with Morgan’s family, is grappling with the horrific details of the crime. If convicted, Froberg faces life in prison or the death penalty.
For Morgan’s family, the pain of her loss is compounded by the realization that her killer, who had escaped justice for so long, is now facing accountability. Officials, who have worked tirelessly on the case, express relief that justice for Morgan may finally be within reach, even as her loved ones continue to recover from the devastating loss.