Timmothy Pitzen

Timmothy Pitzen

Timmothy Pitzen was born on October 18, 2004 in Aurora, Illinois. He was taken on May 11, 2011. James Pitzen, Timmothy’s father, dropped him off at Greenman Elementary School that morning. A short time later Amy Fry-Pitzen, his mother, checked him out claiming a family emergency. The mother/son duo went on a 3-day excursion visiting amusement parks and such. At the end of this spontaneous trip, Amy was found dead of self inflicted wounds with a note that would shock and confuse everyone.

Amy Fry-Pitzen and Timmothy Pitzen

Around 8:30 am on May 11, 2011 Amy checked her son out of school, explaining that there was a family emergency. That turned out to be false. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RNbiIFC4zX4. (Footage of Amy picking up Timmothy at school) She then dropped off her car at a mechanic shop around 10am. An employee of the shop took Amy and Timmothy to the Brookfield Zoo. She returned around 3pm to pick up her car. From there, the two went to the KeyLime Cove Resort in Gurnee.

On May 12 they were spotted on hotel surveillance at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AE_xviac6K0. (Hotel surveillance showing Amy and Timmothy) The pair were also seen on camera in a check-out line around 10am. The following day would be the last time Timmothy was seen.

Hotel footage of Amy and Timmothy

On May 13, Amy called her mother and brother-in-law between 12-1:30pm. She explained that they were both safe and that no one should worry. Of course by now they have been reported missing by James Pitzen. It was speculated that the couple’s marriage was tense and maybe she was taking some time away. Her cellphone pinged northwest of Sterling, near Route 40 (about 130 miles from Wisconsin Dells). Timmothy was heard in the background saying that he was hungry. For some unknown reason, Amy never called James.

Here is where I noticed a worrisome time gap. Amy is seen on camera at 7:25pm, alone, at a Family Dollar in Winnebago buying paper, a pen and envelopes. The distance from Sterling to Winnebago is about 40 miles. She is then spotted at 8:00pm at Sullivan’s Food Store, also without Timmothy.

Amy entering Sullivan’s Food store

Around 11:15pm, she checks into the Rockford Inn at Rockford. On May 14, around 12:30pm, a hotel maid found Amy’s body. She had taken an excessive amount of antihistamine medication and slit her wrists and throat. She left a note apologizing for the mess she had made. The most shocking and confusing part of the note was her claim that Timmothy was safe with people who would care for him and that he would never be found.

This investigation is quite confusing. She traveled over 600 miles during this crazy trip and left little to go on. Her 2004 Ford Expedition gave small clues, but not enough to find little Timmothy.

Amy’s 2004 Ford Expedition

Inside the SUV was a significant blood stain that matches Timmothy but it was not fresh. A family member told law enforcement that Timmothy had a bad nosebleed within the last month and that he had them frequently. The outside of the SUV revealed vegetation that held small clues. Police were lead to areas where Queen Anne’s lace and black mustard plants grew. They searched Whiteside County and Lee County, located in northwest Illinois, but came up empty handed.

Her cell phone was turned in to law enforcement in 2013 but was actually found in 2011 off route 78. The woman that found the phone kept it on a shelf for two years and eventually gave it to her brother. When he turned the phone on, he recognized the contacts in the phone as being in relation to the Pitzen case.

Amy had an I-PASS for tollbooth use. That account showed that she had made two separate trips, one in February and one in March, to the exact hotel she died in and the locations along the way of her final trip with her son. This information has lead law enforcement to believe she planned the whole thing.

Timmothy Pitzen with his father, James Pitzen

But what happened to Timmothy from the afternoon of the 12th to before 7pm on the 13th? What did she do? Who could she have left him with, if she really did that? Many theories have circulated in this case. Family and friends do not believe she would ever harm Timmothy. But then where is he? Timmothy’s father still holds tight to hope that he is alive somewhere. If you have any knowledge of his whereabouts, please contact the number at the bottom of the poster below. Let‘s bring Timmothy Pitzen home!

Poster from Rapid Search and Rescue