A man found wandering around in Kentucky on Wednesday told police that he was Timmothy Pitzen, a boy who vanished from the Chicago area in 2011. Authorities said DNA results confirmed the man was not who he said he was.
The FBI announced Thursday afternoon that DNA results came back negative, according to WCPO.
“To be clear, law enforcement has not and will not forget Timmothy, and we hope to one day reunite him with his family,” an FBI spokesperson stated. “Unfortunately, that day will not be today.”
No further information was given.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police found the boy in a Newport, Kentucky, neighborhood at around 7 a.m., close to 8th Street and Columbia Street. Someone reported a young teen walking around the area as if “he didn’t belong there.”
“[He was] walking around the east side of Newport and didn’t seem like he belonged there. … Things didn’t look right,” Newport Police Chief Tom Collins said.
When questioned, the man reportedly said he was 14 years old and kidnapped years ago, but finally managed to escape while being held at a Red Roof Inn. He said he didn’t know the exact location of the hotel. With the assistance of the Sharonville police, authorities began searching area hotels, but nothing substantial was found.
The man said after he escaped, he kept running and running, and crossed over a bridge in Kentucky.
The man also said that his kidnappers had been holding him captive for at least seven years, and that his real name was Timmothy Pitzen. He described his captors as two white men with “bodybuilder builds,” according to the outlet.
One of the kidnappers, according to the man, has a spider web tattoo on his neck and black curly hair. He was last seen by the boy wearing a Mountain Dew shirt and jeans. The other captor was described as short with “snake tattoo on his arms.”
Sharonville police said the man described the abductors’ vehicle as a late model Ford SUV with a Wisconsin license plate. The vehicle is white with yellow transfer paint and has a dent on the left bumper.
While authorities investigated, Timmothy’s grandmother, who lives in Illinois, said she doesn’t want to get her hopes up but she’s praying it’s truly him.
“Don’t want to say anything until I know for sure. I just don’t want to comment until I know for sure, praying it’s him and he’s okay.”
Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Timmothy Pitzen/NCMEC]
