On the morning of May 11th, 2011, James Pitzen dropped his 6 year-old son Timmothy Pitzen off at his school in Aurora, Illinois. Very shortly thereafter, James’ wife and Timmothy’s mother Amy Pitzen unexpectedly showed up at the school and told the front office that there was a family emergency and she needed to pick up her son. However, there was no family emergency. Instead, Amy had planned a surprise trip for Timmothy, to various amusement and water parks around the midwest area. James did not know that his wife planned this trip, and showed up at Timmothy’s school on the afternoon of the 11th to pick him up as usual. He was then informed that Amy had picked Timmothy up that morning.
It was later learned that Amy called various family members that afternoon, not including her husband. In fact, both her mother and brother-in-law stated that they actually spoke to Amy, and she told them that she and Timmothy were both safe. In one of said phone calls, Timmothy was reportedly heard talking in the background. Amy didn’t tell any of her relatives where they were, but it was later confirmed that she and Timmothy drove to the KeyLime Cove Resort in Gurnee, Illinois and spent the night there on May 11th. The following morning, they drove to Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. The next day, surveillance cameras captured Amy and Timmothy waiting in the check-out line at the resort (pictured above). Timmothy has never been seen or heard from again after that.
On the evening of May 13th, Amy was seen on surveillance cameras at both a dollar store and a grocery store in Rockford, Illinois. She then checked into a nearby hotel. The following morning, a hotel maid found Amy dead in her room. She had taken a fatal amount of antihistamines and slashed her wrists. Amy left behind a note, stating that Timmothy was safe and cared for, but he would never be found. She mailed a similar note to her mother. No trace of Timmothy was found at the scene.
James was reportedly shocked and confused by his wife’s actions. It was well known that Amy struggled with mental health issues, but James and Amy’s mother both have said that they do not believe that Amy could have harmed Timmothy. They both stated that Amy was a devoted mother who loved her son deeply. There is a lack of physical evidence that suggests Timmothy was physically harmed by his mother. The knife that Amy used to slit her wrists only had her blood on it. A small amount of Timmothy’s blood was found in Amy’s vehicle, but it was revealed to have been caused from a nosebleed that occurred weeks before his disappearance. An examination of the car revealed that it had been parked in a grassy area off of a highway. Many have theorized that Timmothy was handed off to someone in another vehicle while Amy’s car was parked in that area.
There are many other theories about what happened to Timmothy as well. One theory is that Amy sent him to live in a nearby Amish community that would be far removed from any news reports about Timmothy’s disappearance. A far more common theory is that Amy actually did kill Timmothy and hid his body before killing herself. Her marriage with James was strained prior to this event and she was worried that if the couple split, she would not gain custody of Timmothy due to her struggles with mental illness. Additionally, hours before Amy died, she reportedly called her brother-in-law and stated, “Timmothy is fine. Timmothy belongs to me. Timmothy and I will be fine. Timmothy is safe.” However, this phone call was made after Amy was seen at various stores without Timmothy.
Despite the numerous theories, Timmothy’s case remains unsolved. James still believes that Timmothy is alive and is hoping that he is found. If you have any information that could lead to TImmothy’s whereabouts, please call 1-866-THE-HUNT.
