In the United States of America, there have been numerous instances of people disappearing, one of which is the case of Timothy Pitzen.
Amy Fry-Pitzen picked up her 6-year-old son, Timmothy Pitzen, from kindergarten on May 11th, 2011, and that marked the final sighting of her and her son.
After almost 24 hours of attempting to reach Amy, Timothy’s father and Amy’s husband, Jim Pitzen, filed a report about his missing wife and son.
But what transpired, and why did Amy ignore Jim’s calls? The incident has sparked widespread concern and raised numerous questions.
Discover what transpired when Amy took her son from school and drove to an unknown location.
Who is Timmothy Pitzen?
Born in Aurora on October 18th, 2004, Timothy was the sole child of Jim Pitzen and Amy Joan Marie Fry-Pitzen, who were residing together in Illinois.
What Occurred to Amy and Timothy?
In the morning of May 11th, 2011, Jim Pitzen, Timothy’s father, dropped off his son at Greenman Elementary in Aurora, Illinois, for kindergarten.
Jim watched his playful son rush towards his kindergarten teacher, swinging his Spider-Man bag.
Timothy’s mother, Amy, arrived at the school approximately 30 minutes later and signed him out of school at 8:30 a.m. that morning, citing a family emergency to school staff.
James Pitzen mentioned in an interview with People Magazine, “I expressed my love for him and instructed him to behave.” “And then he disappeared,” he added.
Mr. Pitzen was unaware of his wife’s actions and was surprised to discover Timmothy missing upon his return to his son’s school later that day.
Pitzen discovered that his wife had checked Timmothy out of class in the school logbook. He attempted numerous times to contact her, but she did not respond or return his calls.
James double-checked their home and Amy’s workplace. He called her number, but it went to voicemail as she was unresponsive.
Jim then reported his wife Amy and son Timothy missing the very next morning, on May 12th, 2011.
Amy and Timothy were last seen leaving the school around 8:30 a.m., according to security footage.
Upon driving her son, Timothy, from the school, Amy Fry-Pitzen stopped at a local workshop, possibly to have her car repaired.
At 10:00 a.m., Amy dropped off her car at a repair shop. Fry-Pitzen and her son were then given a ride by a shop employee to the Brookfield Zoo.
Later at 3:00 p.m., they returned, picked up their car, and headed to the KeyLime Cove Resort in Gurnee, where they spent the night without informing Jim Pitizen.
According to sources, Amy and her son, Timmothy, arrived at Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, on May 12th, 2011.
They were then observed on surveillance camera in the checkout line at 10:00 a.m. the following morning. Both Amy and Timmothy have been missing since then.
Prior to Their Disappearance
Instead of answering Jim’s calls, Amy actually reached out to her mother.
She reassured her mother that they were fine and would return in a day or two. She mentioned that all she needed was some time to herself.
She also contacted Jim’s brother. According to True Crime Daily, she assured him that everything was fine, and then she told Jim’s brother that Timmothy belonged exclusively to him.
Jim told True Crime Daily, “Timmothy was following mom.” “Timmothy was playing with what looked like a toy truck on the floor.” Timmothy appeared happy and did not seem to be distressed at all.
In the past, Amy and Jim’s relationship had endured significant strain due to Amy’s mental health issues.
Amy Fry-Pitzen and James Pitzen met through mutual friends at a party and had a year-long long-distance relationship. Fry-Pitzen struggled with depression.
Particularly when her first marriage concluded, but Pitzen was convinced that he could assist her by creating a healthy connection and environment.
Fry-Pitzen, on the other hand, attempted suicide in 2003, passing out and falling over the side of a cliff.
Fry-Pitzen became pregnant in 2004 and then tied the knot with Jim before the birth of Timmothy.
Pitzen asserts that they frequently argued about finances and his wife’s penchant for traveling with friends.
They had an altercation before dropping off their son at kindergarten, related to the lack of communication with Jim while Amy was out with her friends the previous night.
Timmothy and his mother, Amy, were last seen together checking out from the Kalahari resort in Wisconsin, on May 13th, 2011.
The Disappearance of Timmothy Pitzen
Amy Fry-Pitzen was identified on security footage in a grocery store in Rockford, Illinois, after 8 p.m. that night, alone, with no sign of Timmothy in the footage.
Amy was seen purchasing a notebook, envelopes, and a pen from the grocery store before returning to the hotel.
Amy then checked into the Rockford Inn motel in Rockford, Illinois, around 11:15 p.m., where she took her own life by cutting her wrists and throat and overdosing on antihistamines later that night.
It was around 12:30 p.m. when a hotel staff member was alarmed to find Amy’s body on the bed and discovered a note on May 14, 2011. The knife Fry-Pitzen used for the act contained only her blood, with no trace of Timmothy.
Fry-Pitzen expressed regret for the chaos she had caused in the note and suggested that Timmothy could never be found but would be safe with people who would take care of him.
Prior to her suicide and Timmothy’s disappearance, she had mentioned the possibility of separation.
Police utilized forensics from her SUV to trace Amy’s movements
Amy’s SUV was located near the highway by the police. Timmothy’s bag and toys were absent, and there was “a significant amount” of blood recovered from her SUV, which belonged to Timmothy, according to the authorities.
A family member later indicated that the bloodstains were likely caused by a nosebleed Timmothy had experienced earlier in the month during a drive. The case was unresolved.
The story resurfaced in global headlines in 2019 when a 14-year-old boy claiming to be Timmothy reappeared in the Cincinnati, Ohio, region.
According to the FBI, a DNA test eventually proved that the individual in question was not the missing child.
For filing a false claim, an Ohio man, Rini, was sentenced by a federal judge to two years in prison and one year of probation in 2020.
Case Reopened
According to James Pitzen, he believes Timmothy is still alive. On August 25th, 2018, the case was featured on the American television show Live PD.
The show welcomed Angeline Hartmann from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who presented viewers with an age-progression photo of 13-year-old Timmothy.
Timmothy Pitzen in 2021
Ten years later, Timmothy Pitzen has still not been located, as his mother predicted, and the unresolved mystery continues to haunt his father every single minute of the day.
