BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A man charged in the 1996 abduction and killing of a 7-year-old in Warren County is scheduled to make his first appearance in federal court April 21.

Robert Scott Froberg, 61, is set to appear in U.S. District Court for his initial appearance and arraignment. He faces a federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death, which carries a potential sentence of life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.

The charge stems from the July 24, 1996, disappearance of Morgan Violi, who was abducted while playing with her sisters and friends at the Colony Apartments in Bowling Green. Witnesses told investigators they saw a man force the child into a maroon Chevrolet van before driving away.

Two days later, a van believed to be involved in the abduction was recovered south of Nashville, Tennessee, according to federal prosecutors.

Despite extensive searches and investigative efforts at the time, the case went unsolved for years. Morgan’s body was eventually found on October 20, 1996, in a wooded area in White House, Tennessee.

According to a federal criminal complaint filed February 26, 2026, recent advances in DNA testing helped investigators identify Froberg as a suspect. A hair recovered from the abandoned van was reexamined by the FBI laboratory and linked to him.

Authorities allege that Froberg had escaped from jail earlier in 1996 and traveled across multiple states before arriving in Kentucky. Investigators say he stole a maroon Chevrolet van in Dayton, Ohio, and later exited Interstate 65 in Bowling Green, where he encountered Morgan and abducted her.

The complaint also states that Froberg recently confessed to driving the child into Tennessee and strangling her.

The announcement of the charge was made during a February 27 press conference by U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner, along with officials from the FBI, the Bowling Green Police Department and the Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.

Froberg is currently in custody and is housed at the Grayson County Detention Center in Leitchfield. His upcoming court appearance will begin the federal judicial process, where a judge will formally advise him of the charges and consider conditions of his detention.

If convicted, sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of federal guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Bowling Green Police Department, with prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office handling the case.