Investigators solve 30-year-old cold case of KY girl who was abducted, killed
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- DNA testing confirmed a hair from the van matched Scott Froberg.
- Froberg, serving a 40-year robbery sentence, admitted to abducting and killing Violi.
- Federal charge could bring life or death penalty; Froberg to enter federal custody.
Investigators say they have solved a nearly 30-year-old cold case involving a 7-year-old girl from Bowling Green who was abducted and later found dead in the woods of Tennessee.
Morgan Violi was found dead Oct. 20, 1996, in White House, Tenn., about three months after she was taken from Colony Apartments in Bowling Green. Court documents say she was playing with a friend when a man driving a maroon Chevrolet van kidnapped her and drove away.
For years, Morgan’s kidnapper remained a mystery. On Friday, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky Kyle Bumgarner announced investigators had made a major break in the case and charged Scott Froberg with her kidnapping and death.
“For years, the community has feared that Morgan’s abductor lived silently among us,” Bumgarner said during a news conference Friday. “We feared that one of our kids might be next. I hope that this announcement today can give some level of comfort to this community, my hometown.”
Froberg is incarcerated at the Kilby Correctional Facility, a medium and maximum security prison in Montgomery, Ala., according to Alabama Department of Corrections records. Froberg is serving a 40-year sentence for robbery and could have been released as early as June 2029.
Bumgarner said Froberg will instead be taken into federal custody “in short order.” Froberg is charged with kidnapping resulting in death, which could lead to life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.
Brian Butler will prosecute the case, according to Bumgarner.
“Brian is one of the finest trial attorneys in the commonwealth, and this case is no better hands,” Bumgarner said.
Details of Morgan’s abduction
The abduction came just hours after Stacey Violi received custody of Morgan and her two half-sisters in a divorce from Glen Violi during a hearing in Warren Circuit Court. The FBI investigated Glen Violi as a possible suspect, but his name was removed from the list of suspects nearly two years after the kidnapping.
The FBI never officially named Glen Violi, or anyone else, as a suspect. Glen Violi, however, said that he was one because he had failed five of six lie-detector tests.
Two days after Morgan was abducted from Bowling Green, investigators found a maroon Chevrolet van abandoned at a truck stop in Williamson County, Tenn., according to court documents. Investigators connected the van to Morgan’s kidnapping after they discovered a seat cushion fiber from the van in her hair.
Investigators processed the van for more evidence and found strands of hair. Court documents say DNA testing of the hairs did not identify a suspect in the 1990s, but DNA testing has improved tremendously in the last 30 years, and additional testing of the hair was requested.
The additional testing confirmed that one of the hairs belonged to Froberg, according to court documents. Bumgarner said Froberg was not a suspect in the case until the DNA testing confirmed his presence in the van.
Investigators interviewed Froberg on Tuesday at the FBI office in Montgomery. Court documents say he admitted to abducting Morgan, strangling her to death and dumping her body in the woods near a barn.
The case garnered nationwide attention. It was featured twice on “America’s Most Wanted” and had a $20,000 reward for information at one point.
No hearing has been sent in the case. Bumgarner asked for the community to support Morgan’s family as Froberg’s case begins.
“While the criminal process for Froberg on these charges is only just beginning, I hope this significant development brings some degree of closure of Morgan’s mom, her dad and her two older sisters,” Bumgarner said. “They’ve waited far too long for answers. Yesterday evening, we were able to give them those answers and to begin their process of closure.”
Why was Froberg in Kentucky?
Froberg was a wanted fugitive passing through Bowling Green when he allegedly kidnapped Morgan, according to court documents. He exited Interstate 65 in Bowling Green to buy marijuana when he abducted Morgan and traveled south to Tennessee.
There has been no other connection between Froberg and Kentucky mentioned in court documents or by officials.
In December 1988, Froberg committed an armed robbery in Montgomery and was later convicted of the crime. Court documents say he was sentenced to 40 years in prison, but he escaped custody in April 1996 and fled to Mount Carmel, Pa.
About a month after his escape, Froberg was found hiding in a tree house in Mount Carmel. Court documents say he tried to lure a 7-year-old boy into the tree house, but the boy called police, and Froberg was arrested soon after.
On July 16, 1996, about two months after being arrested, Froberg escaped from the Northumberland County Jail by climbing a rain spout to the roof and then using a cable to climb down, court documents say. A week later, he stole a maroon Chevrolet van from a home in Dayton, Ohio, that was a bout a half-mile from his parents’ house.
Froberg eventually ended up on I-65 traveling south. Court documents say investigators believed he was fleeing to Huntsville, Ala., to hide out with a former Alabama Department of Corrections nurse who developed a relationship with Froberg while he was incarcerated for the armed robbery charge.
The former nurse provided money and other assistance to some inmates in exchange for sexual favors, according to court documents.
Froberg allegedly kidnapped and killed Morgan on the way to Huntsville. Court documents say he abandoned the van used in the abduction at the Williamson County truck stop and made it to Huntsville, where he stayed for about a week.
Froberg then fled back to Pennsylvania, where he was arrested August 21, 1996, court documents say. During the interview with investigators, he admitted to escaping from the Northumberland County Jail, stealing the van in Dayton, kidnapping and killing Morgan and hiding in Huntsville before his arrest.
“Today’s charging of Robert Froberg for Morgan’s abduction and murder is the culmination of almost 30 years of investigative efforts by numerous agencies and law enforcement personnel in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Alabama and Pennsylvania,” FBI supervisory special agent Will Kurtz said during the news conference.
Froberg was sentenced to 15 years in prison for escaping custody, according to Alabama Department of Corrections records. The sentence was ordered to run concurrently with his armed robbery sentence, and he was scheduled to have a parole hearing in January 2028.
This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 1:46 PM.
