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U.S. NEWS Friday 5 april 2019
FBI rejects teen’s claim

to be long-missing boy

By DAN SEWELL and something that has a big with his name, handprint
DON BABWIN national attention like this,” and footprint etched in it
Associated Press he said. when he redid the back
CINCINNATI (AP) — A Timmothy’s family mem- patio. It is dated ‘09.
young man’s claim to be bers said they were heart- Linda Ramirez, who lives
an Illinois boy who disap- broken at the latest twist. nearby and knew the fam-
peared under tragic cir- “It’s devastating. It’s like ily, said she was “pretty ex- A slab of concrete sits in the backyard of the house where
cumstances eight years reliving that day all over cited” but didn’t “want to Timmothy Pitzen used to live in Aurora, Illinois, Thursday, April,
ago was disproved by again, and Timmothy’s fa- have false hopes.”q 2019.
DNA tests and pronounced ther is devastated once Associated Press
a hoax Thursday, dash- again,” said his aunt Kara
ing hopes that the baf- Jacobs.
fling case had finally been The boy’s grandmother
solved. For a day and a half, Alana Anderson said: “It’s
a breakthrough seemed to been awful. We’ve been
be at hand when a young on tenterhooks, hope-
man found wandering the ful and frightened. It’s just
streets of Newport, Ken- been exhausting.” She
tucky, on Wednesday iden- added, “I feel so sorry for
tified himself as 14-year-old the young man who’s ob-
Timmothy Pitzen. He told viously had a horrible time
police he had just escaped and felt the need to say he
from two men who had was somebody else.”
held him captive for seven Timmothy, of Aurora, Illinois,
years. vanished after his mother,
Timmothy disappeared Amy Fry-Pitzen, pulled him
in 2011 at age 6, appar- out of kindergarten early
ently sent into hiding by one day, took him on a
his mother just before she two-day road trip to the
took her own life. When zoo and a water park, and
the young man told his then killed herself at a ho-
story, Timmothy’s family tel. She eft a note saying
was cautiously hopeful, as that her son was safe with
were neighbors and others people who would love
who have long wondered and care for him, and
whether he is dead or alive. added: “You will never find
But the FBI said Thursday af- him.” Police have said Tim-
ternoon that DNA tests de- mothy’s mother might have
termined the young man dropped the boy off with a
was not Timmothy. friend, noting that the boy’s
Newport Police Chief Tom car seat and Spider-Man
Collins identified him to backpack were gone. Tim-
ABC as Brian Rini of Medi- mothy’s grandmother said
na, Ohio, a 23-year-old ex- her daughter had fought
convict. He was released depression for years and
from an Ohio prison less was having problems in
than a month ago after her marriage to Timmothy’s
serving more than a year father. News reports sug-
for burglary and vandalism. gested she was afraid she
Authorities did not say would lose custody of the
whether Rini would face boy in a divorce because
charges or what his motive of her mental instability.
was. At Greenman Elementary
“Law enforcement has after the boy’s disappear-
not and will not forget Tim- ance, Timmothy’s school-
mothy, and we hope to mates, teachers and par-
one day reunite him with his ents tied hundreds of yel-
family. Unfortunately, that low ribbons around trees
day will not be today,” FBI and signs. A garden was
spokesman Timothy Beam planted in his memory.
said in a statement. The brief but tantalizing
Aurora police Sgt. Bill Row- possibility that the case had
ley said that over the years been solved generated ex-
his department has re- citement in Timmothy’s for-
ceived thousands of tips mer neighborhood.
about Timmothy, including Pedro Melendez, who lives
false sightings. in Timmothy’s former home,
“We’re always worried didn’t know the boy but
about copycats, especially saved the concrete slab