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FBI says DNA results show teen who claimed he was missing boy is not Timmothy Pitzen

Posted at 9:58 PM, Apr 04, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-04 21:58:59-04

CINCINNATI — FBI officials announced Thursday that DNA results show teen who claimed he was missing Aurora boy is not Timmothy Pitzen.

The 14-year-old boy told Kentucky authorities Wednesday he was the boy who disappeared from the Chicago suburb seven years ago. Thursday, FBI Louisville tweeted that this was not the case.

The teen said he escaped kidnappers at a Red Roof Inn in the Cincinnati area, and kept running until he ran across a bridge to Newport, Kentucky.

He told police he was being held hostage by two men. One witness said the teen was covered in bruises, as if he had been beaten.

At this time, the FBI said the boy's true identity is unknown, but they are still investigating. The FBI also said they have not given up the search for Pitzen.

Timmothy was six years old when he went missing in May 2011. His mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, had picked him up from Greenman Elementary School in Aurora.

The two went on a three-day road trip stopping at Brookfield Zoo and water parks in Gurnee and Wisconsin Dells. They were last seen on hotel surveillance video in Wisconsin.

Amy was found dead days later in a Rockford motel along with a note saying her son was “safe” with people who would take care of him. The note ended with a chilling line: "you'll never find him.”

Pitzen’s grandmother, Alana Anderson, said the family has never given up hope despite facing massive heartache.

"We never stopped looking for him, thinking about him and we'll do everything we can to get him back to a good life", Alana said.

The FBI said it is still accepting "genuine" information that could lead to the discovery of the real Timmothy Pitzen's whereabouts.