FBI revives case against man accused of child abuse

A man named Steven Lee Fox, 59, faces federal charges for allegedly abusing a 9-year-old girl. He is accused of taking the girl and her younger sister from Alaska to Oregon, where he sexually assaulted the older girl in various hotels and homes. Fox's case was initially handled by the Umatilla County district attorney, who dismissed the charges in 2022, claiming the girls could not be located. However, court records revealed that the girls were in foster care at that time. When authorities learned the girls were willing to testify, the district attorney chose not to reopen the case. In March 2023, after the situation was made clear, the FBI took over the investigation. They transferred the case from Oregon to Alaska and interviewed the sisters again. Fox has a long criminal history and was previously barred from being around children. Fox first met the girls in 2019 after moving to Alaska. He posed as a “long-lost uncle” to their mother, who struggled with substance abuse. Reportedly, he manipulated the situation to isolate the girls from their mother. In early 2020, Fox traveled with the sisters to Oregon, where he began the alleged abuse. After multiple incidents, including a police stop in which Fox’s actions seemed suspicious, he was arrested in April 2020 for other charges. The 9-year-old eventually disclosed the abuse during an investigation, leading to new charges. However, the Umatilla County District Attorney's Office let the case sit for two years before dismissing it. Recently, the FBI laid new charges against Fox for transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. He was arrested after moving frequently between homes and motels in Oregon and Alaska. He appeared in court in Portland and will be transported to Anchorage for prosecution.