Timmothy Pitzen: 'Devastated' family tell of their heartbreak as FBI reveal man, 23, who claimed to be the missing Illinois boy is in fact a convicted criminal

Hoax: Brian Rini, 23, a convict recently released from prison
Ohio Department of Correction
Ella Wills5 April 2019

The family of missing Illinois boy Timmothy Pitzen have told of their heartbreak after a man claiming to be their son turned out to be a 23-year-old convict recently released from prison.

"It's like reliving that day all over again, and Timmothy's father is devastated once again, as are we," the boy's aunt Kara Jacobs said.

The family was initially elated by a report that suggested Timmothy might have been found eight years after he went missing.

The boy vanished aged 6 in 2011, around the time his mother killed herself.

Relatives were amazed to hear that a young man had been found wandering the streets of Kentucky. He told police he had been held captive for seven years and that he was Timmothy, now 14.

Timmothy Pitzen went missing eight years ago
AP

But the hope was dashed on Thursday when the FBI said DNA tests had shown that the person was not Timmothy, but ex-convict Brian Rini who who was recently released from an Ohio prison after serving time for burglary and vandalism.

Authorities did not say whether Rini would face charges over the alleged hoax or what his motive was.

"Law enforcement has not and will not forget Timmothy, and we hope to one day reunite him with his family. Unfortunately, that day will not be today," FBI spokesman Timothy Beam said in a statement.

CCTV showed a person wandering the streets in Newport, Kentucky
CNN

In Timmothy's hometown of Aurora, Illinois, police Sgt Bill Rowley said that over the years his department has received thousands of tips about Timmothy, including false sightings.

"We're always worried about copycats, especially something that has a big national attention like this," he said.

Timmothy's family members said they were heartbroken at the latest twist.

A slab of concrete sits in the backyard of the house where Timmothy Pitzen used to live in Aurora, Illinois
AP

The boy's grandmother Alana Anderson said: "It's been awful. We've been on tenterhooks, hopeful and frightened. It's just been exhausting."

She added, "I feel so sorry for the young man who's obviously had a horrible time and felt the need to say he was somebody else."

Rini's brother Jonathan told ABC his brother had always been "a troublemaker."

"He had no business throwing that boys names out there, pretending to be him and hurting the family like that," he said.

Brian Rini's brother Jonathan said he has 'always been a troublemaker'
ABC

Mr Rini added: "He's always been a troublemaker. He's always been in and out of juvy. In and out of county, and then he just got out of prison last month, but nothing like this though."

Timmothy vanished after his mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, pulled him out of kindergarten early one day, took him on a two-day road trip to the zoo and a water park, and then killed herself at a hotel. She left a note saying that her son was safe with people who would love and care for him, and added: "You will never find him."

Police have said she might have dropped the boy off with a friend, noting that his car seat and Spider-Man backpack were gone.

Timmothy's grandmother said her daughter had fought depression for years and was having problems in her marriage to Timmothy's father.

News reports suggested she was afraid she would lose custody of the boy in a divorce because of her mental instability.

At Greenman Elementary after the boy's disappearance, Timmothy's schoolmates, teachers and parents tied hundreds of yellow ribbons around trees and signs. A garden was planted in his memory.

The brief but tantalising possibility that the case had been solved generated excitement in Timmothy's former neighborhood.

Pedro Melendez, who lives in Timmothy's former home, didn't know the boy but saved the concrete slab with his name, handprint and footprint etched in it when he redid the back patio. It is dated '09.

Linda Ramirez, who lives nearby and knew the family, said she was "pretty excited" but didn't "want to have false hopes."

Sgt Rowley expressed hope that the flurry of activity and attention had renewed interest in the case.

"Perhaps, it has people looking at the case with new eyes," the police sergeant said.

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