Six year old boy, Timothy Pitzen, missing after mother, Amy J. Fry-Pitzen, found dead

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Amy J. Fry-Pitzen (right) and her son Timothy
Staff report

10:08 p.m. CDT, May 14, 2011
Aurora police are leading the search for a missing 6-year-old boy whose mother was found dead today in a Rockford motel room from an apparent suicide.

The mother, Amy J. Fry-Pitzen, 43, was discovered dead by Rockford police this afternoon inside of a motel room in the 3800 block of 11th Street in Rockford, with no signs of her son, Timothy, Aurora police said in a news release.

Fry-Pitzen, of the 400 block of North Highland Avenue in Aurora, suffered slit wrists, authorities said.

The mom left a note saying that Timothy was fine and that she left him in the care of unnamed individuals, authorities said. Aurora detectives are working with other police departments in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa hoping to gain new leads. Fry-Pitzen has several relatives and friends in Iowa, police added.

After Fry-Pitzen's husband reported the pair missing on Thursday, police discovered that Fry-Pitzen had checked her son out of his school the previous morning.

After getting her son Wednesday, police said the pair stayed at the Key Lime Cove Resort in Gurnee that night before heading to the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells on Thursday night. Fry-Pitzen was also seen at Sullivan’s Foods in the 700 block of Elida Street in Winnebago, Ill., at around 8 p.m. Friday.

Several of the woman's family members and acquaintances spoke with her Friday. Fry-Pitzen told them that she and her son were fine and not in danger. One relative spoke with the child, who didn't sound as if he was in any distress, police said.

Timothy is described as a white, about 4-foot-2 inches tall, weighing about 70 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone who may have seen Timothy in recent days is asked to call Aurora Police at 630-256-5500, or their local authorities by dialing 911.

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Police: Mother commits suicide, 6 yr. old son missing
May 15th, 2011 by Jessica Carlson

Six year old Timothy Pitzen from Aurora, Illinois, missing after police say his mother committed suicide.

Police say a 43 year old Aurora, Illinois mother was found dead in a motel room about 75 miles north of her home, from an apparent suicide. The woman, Amy Fry-Pitzen, was traveling locally with her 6 yr. old son Timothy Pitzen on what turned out to be their last vacation together. Fry-Pitzen reportedly took her son out of school last Wednesday and went on a local road-trip to numerous Chicagoland attractions with Timothy including various indoor water-parks and the Brookfield zoo. In what appears to be her last stop, the mother and son checked into an indoor water-park in Wisconsin late Friday night. Fry-Pitzen’s family,who live in Iowa, said she and Timothy called them Friday afternoon and at that time there no indication that anything was wrong.

According to CLTV, police began searching for the mother and son when Timothy’s father reported him missing. Pursuing information given by Fry-Pritzen’s family as well as pulling cell phone records, police subsequently found her body along with a suicide note. Timothy, however, was nowhere to be found. His mother’s suicide note said not to worry about Timothy — he was in safe hands. The note did not indicate where Timothy’s was or who he was with. Police are continuing to investigate his whereabouts.

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FBI, U.S. Marshal join hunt for missing Aurora boy

By Matt Hanley [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] May 17, 2011 7:04PM

AURORA — A week after his mom pulled him out of his kindergarten class, dozens of police officers are now looking for the 6-year-old Aurora boy who has not been seen since his mother’s apparent suicide.

On Tuesday, the FBI and U.S. Marshal’s Office joined the hunt, increasing the already sizable team searching for Timothy Pitzen. The new agents join a specialized missing child team dispatched Monday and investigators from Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Timothy was last seen with his mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, 43. She checked the boy out of Greenman Elementary School on May 11, then took him on what appears to be a small, unannounced vacation to Brookfield Zoo, Key Lime Cove Resort in Gurnee and Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin. When they checked out of Kalahari, it was the last time Amy and Timothy were seen together, police said.

Amy’s body was found in a Rockford motel room Saturday afternoon. Police said she had slit her wrists and left a note saying Timothy was safe and being cared for, without indicating where he was. Police have tracked Amy’s phone calls and credit card receipts as far as Racine Wis., Sterling, Ill., and Johnson Creek, Wis.

Police have considered that Amy, who had a history of depression, might have given Timothy to someone with a false story that the boy was in danger. That theory might have gained some traction when police learned Monday night that Timothy’s car seat and Spider-Man backpack were missing from Amy’s Ford Expedition.

Police and family members in Aurora have stressed that the boy would be safe at home, where he has people who love him, including his father, Jim Pitzen.

On Tuesday, the family was talking to as many different media outlets as possible, trying to make sure Timothy’s picture is spread as far as possible, while also making final arrangements on Amy’s funeral. At the same time, police are trying to narrow the area where Timothy might be.

Timothy lived with his mother and father in the 400 block of North Highland Avenue in Aurora. He is 4-foot-2, about 70 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. According to a surveillance video, he was last seen wearing shorts, a brown T-shirt and white socks.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Aurora police at 630-256-5500, or local police by dialing 911.

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New clues emerge in search for missing Aurora boy

SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE May 17, 2011 4:00PM

Police have released new details that emerged Monday afternoon in their search for 6-year-old Timothy Pitzen, the boy whose mother was found dead over the weekend at a motel in Rockford, the victim of an apparent suicide.

Authorities have confirmed that Timothy’s child safety seat and Spider Man backpack are both missing from the 2004 Ford Expedition SUV his mother was driving, a release Monday night from Aurora police said. The discovery came Monday when detectives were reviewing pictures of items left in the vehicle with Timothy’s father at the time it was found in the parking lot of the Rockford motel. Timothy’s mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, killed herself in a room at the same motel, the Rockford Inn, on Saturday.

The discovery could lend credence to a working theory detectives have that Amy could have possibly dropped Timothy off with a friend or acquaintance, the release said.

In addition, detectives were able to confirm through credit card receipts that Amy apparently purchased some children’s clothes and toys from a Shopko store in the 4800 block of Washington Avenue in Racine, Wisconsin on Friday morning about 11:15 a.m.; and some gasoline and beverages from a Qwik-Trip store located just off I-94 in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin about 2:20 p.m., Friday.

The last time anyone saw Timothy is when he and his mother were checking out of the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells about 10:10 a.m. Friday.

Surveillance video from the resort shows Timothy to be wearing shorts that are possibly blue in color and a brown t-shirt with white socks. His shoes are not identifiable in the video.

Timothy is 4-foot-2, weighs approximately 70 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes.

Amy had left a note in the motel room indicating that the boy was fine and was in the care of unnamed persons.

Even with the new discovery police reiterate that they are working on numerous theories and are continuing to try and cultivate leads in the case.

Authorities know that, based on cell phone records, between approximately noon and 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Amy and Timothy were in the Sterling/Rock Falls, Illinois area where Amy placed several calls to family and friends. A relative talked with Timothy who told police that he did not sound as though he was in danger. That conversation was the last that anyone has had with the boy.

Police know that Amy was seen without Timothy at Sullivan’s Foods in the 700 block of Elida Street in Winnebago Illinois about 8 pm. Friday; and when she checked herself into the Rockford Inn, located in the 3800 block of 11th Street, between 11:15 and 11:30 p.m. Friday. The food store and the motel are about 20 minutes apart. Amy’s body was discovered at approximately 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Aurora Police are working with several jurisdictions in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa including the Rockford, Illinois Police Department and an ADAM Team from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Anyone who believes they saw either the boy, his mother, and/or anyone who may have been with them --- or anyone who may have information on the case— is asked to call Aurora Police at (630) 256-5500, or their local authorities by dialing 911.

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Search for missing boy shifts
Investigators focus on Rock Falls for information on Aurora 6-year-old
May 18, 2011
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Timothy Pitzen

As authorities expressed increasing concern about a missing 6-year-old Aurora boy and shifted their search to the Rock Falls area, his father remained optimistic Wednesday that his son would be found safe.

"Timothy is a very intelligent young man," James Pitzen told WGN-TV. "He will find a way to get out and contact somebody if he thinks he's in danger."

Timothy Pitzen has been missing since his mother's apparent suicide in a Rockford hotel room over the weekend. The search has moved to the Rock Falls area, where the boy's mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, made several cellphone calls to friends and relatives before killing herself hours later at a Rockford motel last weekend, police said.

On Wednesday, investigators distributed fliers with Timothy's picture and description at rest stops, restaurants, gas stations and other businesses along Interstate Highway 88 in the Sterling and Rock Falls area, which is west of Dixon along the Rock River.

Fry-Pitzen said during the calls Friday that her son was fine and they were not in any danger. When Timothy talked to a family member, he did not sound as though he were in peril, police said. He could be heard in the background saying he was hungry, police said.

About six hours later, Fry-Pitzen was seen alone at a food store in Winnebago. She checked in alone at a Rockford motel just before midnight and was found dead shortly after noon Saturday. She left a note saying the boy was in the care of unnamed persons.

Police were initially encouraged by the note and the fact that the boy's car seat and Spider-Man backpack were missing from the 2004 Ford Expedition Fry-Pitzen was driving, possibly indicating she had dropped Timothy off with a friend or acquaintance.

But Wednesday police said they were working several theories about what might have happened to the boy and were "increasingly concerned … because no one has heard from him in a week."

Timothy's father described the last few days as "terrifying."

"I don't know why my wife did what she did," Jim Pitzen said from the backyard of his Aurora home. "I don't know where my son is and it's just terrifying to know that my son is there with somebody I don't know, and I have no idea what my wife told them that would keep him away from his family."

Pitzen said he was focused on burying his wife while working on locating his son.

"When he's found, we're going to visit grandma's and grandpa's and have a lot of family time," he said. "That's what we're going to do."

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STERLING (WREX) -

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Aurora police, the FBI and U.S. Marshals are focusing on the Sterling/Rock Falls area in the search for an Aurora boy that turned up missing after his mother was found dead in Rockford.

Timothy Pitzen, 6, was last seen with his mother Amy Fry-Pitzen, 43, at a Wisconsin Dells resort last week. The last time he was heard from was Friday afternoon, when Amy made cell phone calls traced to the Sterling/Rock Falls area. During at least one of those calls to a family member, Timothy could be heard in the background and did not seem to be in danger. The next time Amy was seen was at Sullivan's Foods on Elida Street in Winnebago around 8:00 p.m. Friday, but she was not with Timothy. Friday night, she checked herself into the Rockford Motel in the 3800 block of 11th Street. She was found dead at the motel on Saturday afternoon. Police say she left behind a suicide note that said Timothy was fine and was in the care of unnamed persons.

Police say they are focusing on the Sterling/Rock Falls area after tracking the cell phone calls made on Friday. On Wednesday, investigators distributed flyers with Timothy's picture and physical description at rest stops, restaurants, gas stations, and other businesses along the I-88 and I-39 corridors in the Sterling/Rock Falls area.

On Monday, police confirmed Timothy's child safety seat and Spider Man backpack are missing from the 2004 Ford Expedition SUV that was left at the Rockford Motel. Police are hopeful that means she did drop him off with a friend or acquaintance.

Timothy is 4'2", weighs approximately 70 pounds, and has brown hair and eyes.

Anyone who may have information on the case is asked to call Aurora Police at (630) 256-5500, or their local authorities by dialing 9-1-1.

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Investigators: Missing boy’s car seat was with grandmother

Aurora police were able to confirm Friday night that Timmothy Pitzen’s child car seat that was thought to have been missing from the vehicle driven by his mother, has been in the possession of Amy Fry Pitzen’s mother since before the pair went missing.

The grandmother took possession of the seat when she cared for the boy the week prior to Amy Fry Pitzen leaving with Timmothy. When the grandmother returned Timmothy to his home, she apparently forgot to return the child seat. The possibility that it was with the maternal grandmother was brought to the attention of investigators on Thursday night, but detectives were not able to talk with the grandmother until Friday night to confirm that fact.
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May 13, 2013

Detectives say they strongly believe Timmothy Pitzen is still alive. He’s the six-year-old discovered missing when his mother committed suicide in a Rockford motel two years ago.
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Investigators say that out of the dozens of people they interviewed, not one person has led them to believe Pitzen’s mom would hurt her son.

It’s a case that haunts many mothers here in the Stateline. It’s been two years since Pitzen vanished and police say despite time passing by, they will not give up on this investigation.

“When Aurora Police Detective Lee Catavu walked into his office this morning, he had two leads on his desk. The investigator considers the tips a sign the community hasn’t given up on the search for Timmothy Pitzen.

Catavu says his department gets roughly five calls a month from people nationwide who believe they’ve spotted the soon to be nine-year-old. Detectives are now re-interviewing more than 60 people who all say the boy’s mother, Amy Fry Pitzen would never have hurt her son.

Police are treating the investigation as a missing person’s case and are working tirelessly on a timeline that seems to provide no answers. Detectives say after a trip to the Wisconsin Dells with her son, Fry-Pitzen was last with Timmothy in the Sterling Rock Falls area where the two made calls to family around 1:30 that day. That’s where the case turned cold. Police say that more than six hours later, Fry-Pitzen showed up alone at the Sullivan’s grocery store in Winnebago. Officers say it then took her three hours to check into a Rockford motel where she ended her life, leaving a letter behind.

“In that suicide note I guess the most important part is that he’s somewhere safe with someone who will love him and take care of him.”
It’s now finding that “someone” along with Timmothy.

Police are hoping forensic evidence will help lead them to Timmothy. Detectives say they know Fry-Pitzen stopped her SUV before taking her life and believe she pulled off an asphalt road onto a gravel road that’s likely near a grassy meadow or field, but nowhere near trees or corn, they know those specifics.

Police say the missing persons case out of Cleveland, where three women were found after ten years of captivity gives them inspiration not to give up on the investigation. Detectives say it’s another reason to never write off a case.

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WOW!! Am Speechless!