Since then, Timmothy is still missing. His father, James Pitzen did not give up looking for him. Over the years, there have been updates to the case, including a disturbing incident in which a young man claimed to be Timmothy, only for the police to find out it wasn’t him. Let’s take a look at the case and all the updates over the years.
It was the morning of May 11, 2011, when, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Timthy’s mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, drove to the elementary school her son was attending. His father had dropped him off at school that morning and unbeknownst to him, Fry-Pitzen came a few hours later and checked Timmothy out of school.
Security footage captured them as they left the school grounds and then embarked on a road trip together. They traveled to zoos, amusement parks and other locations in neighboring Wisconsin. The mother and son were seen on CCTV as they enjoyed their time at a water park.
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video
Then, three days later, on May 14, 2011, Fry-Pitzen’s corpse was discovered in a motel room in Rockford, Illinois. Police ruled her death a suicide and family members said she had been battling depression for some time. Timmothy was not in the room with his mother.
However, Fry-Pitzen had left a note stating that Timmothy was in the care of a manager who loved her, but she had not disclosed the whereabouts of the 6-year-old. His family said they were certain his mother had done him no harm and had never stopped believing that Timmothy was alive somewhere. However, over time, the family members began to lose hope and the investigation seemed to be at an impasse.
In a turn of events, a development in the case arose in 2019, but unfortunately it turned out to be a hoax. It all started when a Kentucky woman noticed an agitated teenager moving around her car. He said he had been running for over two hours. The boy also had a stomach ache. The woman was concerned for the well-being of the 14-year-old so she called the police. When officers arrived, the boy informed them that his name was Timmothy Pitzen. And for a moment, it seemed like an 8-year-old mystery had been solved.
Unfortunately, the happy ending turned out to be too good to be true. As reported by The Washington Post, a DNA test rushed by the FBI showed that the young man was not, in fact, Timmothy, but a 23-year-old ex-convict named Brian Michael Rini. Following the incident, Brian was charged with lying to federal agents.
Robert Brown, who is a special agent in charge of the FBI Louisville, told NBC News:
“Due to false reports in cases such as Timmothy’s, this is extremely traumatic for the families of the missing children and diverts resources from legitimate investigative efforts”
Brian’s brother, Jonathan Rini, also spoke to NBC and said he was not surprised by his brother’s actions. He said: “He does stupid stuff, not so serious but he’s been doing stupid stuff for as long as I can remember.” Brian was reportedly diagnosed with bipolar disorder and Asperger’s Syndrome in the past. Jonathan added:
“I hope he gets help, I also hope he goes to jail for this, or at least to an institution. I will tell the family that I am sorry for what he has done, but for him, I wouldn’t even talk to him,”
In 2020 Brian pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft charges in connection with the case and was sentenced to two years in prison.
Unfortunately, this did not allow law enforcement to find out what had happened to Timmothy. Last year, on the 10th anniversary of Timmothy’s disappearance, police released an updated age progression photo of what Timmothy would look like at 16. They said their investigation remains active and they hope the new image will help them. Timthy’s father said at the time:
