BIRTH RIGHT
Boy claiming to be missing Timmothy Pitzen gives cops correct birth date as family ‘cautiously optimistic’ DNA will prove he’s their son
THE boy claiming to be missing Timmothy Pitzen has given cops the correct birthdate as they try to establish whether he's telling the truth.
The 14-year-old was found "bruised and skinny" wandering the streets of Newport, Kentucky, and told police he was Timmothy, who went missing eight years ago after his mum killed herself.
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He said he had just escaped on foot from two burly kidnappers who held him against his will in a motel and "kept running across a bridge into Kentucky."
Police detectives interviewed him on Wednesday and asked him questions that only Timmothy would know, as well as giving him a DNA test.
He said his birthday was October 18 2004, the same date as Timmothy's.
The DNA test results are expected to be released on Thursday evening.
POLICE PROBE
Sgt. Bill Rowley, of the Aurora Police Department, said: "I have been advised by our investigators that they plan to continue their investigation this morning, however, the details of that investigation remain confidential.
"We still have no confirmation of the identity of the person located, but hope to have something later this afternoon or early this evening."
The boy was found yesterday in Newport, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio - almost 500 miles from where Timmothy was last seen in May 2011.
Witnesses said the ";scared and agitated" teen with bruises on his face was seen running around for two hours before he flagged down a female motorist and begged for help.
'CAUTIOUSLY HOPEFUL'
When police arrived he said he'd been held by kidnappers and gave his name as Timmothy Pitzen – potentially ending eight years of torment for his family.
Timmothy Pitzen's grandmother, Alana Anderson, said the family are "cautiously hopeful" after the dramatic development.
Timmothy was just six when he was last seen at a water park resort in Wisconsin on May 13, 2011.
Two days before, his dad Jim Pitzen had dropped him off as usual at his elementary school in Aurora, near Chicago, Illinois.
His mum Amy, 43, then unexpectedly took him out of class, claiming a family emergency, and took him to the zoo.
Then they went to two water parks, one in Illinois and another at Wisconsin Dells in the neighbouring state.
WITHOUT A TRACE
CCTV showed them checking out at 10am - the last time Timmothy was seen.
Police later found Amy dead in a hotel 100 miles away in Rockford, Illinois.
She left a cryptic suicide note, saying her son was in the care of others who would "love and care for him" and added: "You’ll never find him".
A search in three states and numerous TV appeals failed to find any trace.
Police Sgt Bill Rowley said: "We've probably had thousands of tips of him popping up in different areas.
"We have no idea what we're driving down there for. It could be Pitzen. It could be a hoax."
An police report reveals the boy told police he had just escaped from two white men with bodybuilder physiques who were driving a Ford SUV with Wisconsin plates.
It says: "One had black curly hair, Mt. Dew shirt and jeans, & has a spider web tattoo on his neck
"The other was short in stature and had a snake tattoo on his arms."
The boy he fled from a Red Roof Inn - but there are several of the chain motels in the area for cops to check.
The FBI said its offices in Louisville and Cincinnati were working on a missing child investigation with police in Aurora, Cincinnati, Newport and Hamilton, Ohio.
MOST READ IN NEWS
Timmothy's grandmother told a US news channel: “We never forgot, never stopped thinking about him every day, stayed in touch with the police.
"It just went cold and I just prayed that when he was old enough that he would remember us and contact us—that was kind of the best I could hope for for a long time.”
But she added: "We don't want to get our hopes up. We've had false reports and false hopes before.
"I'm cautiously hopeful, very cautiously hopeful. And if it turns out to be him, we'll be thrilled."
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