AURORA, Ill. — Authorities have released new age-progressed photos of an Illinois boy last seen a decade ago leaving a resort in Wisconsin Dells.
Timmothy Pitzen would be 16 years old today. He was 6 when he disappeared on May 11, 2011.
Timmothy was last seen checking out of the Kalahari resort with his mother. Police said Amy Fry-Pitzen unexpectedly checked her son out of his school in Aurora, Illinois, before heading to Wisconsin.
Timmothy’s father, Jim Pitzen, reported his family missing on May 12.
Two days later, Amy was found dead at a hotel in Rockford, Illinois. Police said she left a note indicating that Timmothy was with others who would love and care for him.
“It’s hard to believe that we have been searching for Timmothy for 10 long years now,” Jim Pitzen said. “We believe he is out there, and we hope every day that he will make his way home.”
Officials with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said age-progression photos can help bring home missing children.
“Because Timmothy has been missing since 2011, it can be tough to look at this image and realize that little Timmothy is now 16 years old,” said Angeline Hartmann, a spokesperson for NCMEC.
In 2019, an Ohio man claimed to be Timmothy, but DNA results proved otherwise. Brian Michael Rini was sentenced to two years in federal prison for making false statements to federal agents.
Rini’s claims briefly raised hope among Timmothy’s family members.
“It’s kind of back to ground zero for us — kind of reliving everything that did happen and renewing the loss one more time,” Alana Anderson said two years ago about the search for her grandson.
Anyone who may have information is asked to call The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or the Aurora Police Department’s Timmothy Pitzen Tip Line at (630) 256-5516.
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