An Aurora family is praying for a 6-year-old boy's safe return who was last seen with his mother at a Wisconsin Dells resort last week.
Timothy J. Pitzen's mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, was found dead inside a Rockford motel room Saturday. She slit her wrists and left a note saying her son was fine and in the care of unnamed persons, but police haven't been able to track down the boy's whereabouts.
"It's devastating to lose a daughter-in-law, but even more devastating to not know where our grandson is," Linda Pitzen told NBC Chicago. "He's full of life, he's a wiry little boy who loves to play and ride his bike."
Police say the boy's mother checked Timothy out of his Aurora elementary school last Wednesday without telling anyone, spent the afternoon at the Brookfield Zoo and eventually checked into the Key Lime Cove Resort in Gurnee Wednesday night. The two went to the Wisconsin Dells and stayed at the Kalahari Resort until around 10:10 a.m. Friday, according to police. They were last seen together checking out of the resort.
The boy's father, Chuck Pitzen, dropped him off at school that day and even dropped his wife off at work, and had no idea she planned to pick the boy up and disappear.
"This could be a situation where she gave Timothy to someone she knew and didn't fill him or her in on all the information," said Dan Ferrilli of the Aurora Police Department.
Police checked cell phone records and discovered that the mother and son were in the Sterling/Rock Falls, Ill., area between 12 and 1:30 p.m. Friday and placed several calls to family and friends, saying that they were fine and not in any danger. Timothy also spoke with a relative and did not sound as if he were in danger, police say.
Police say Amy was then spotted Friday night without Timothy at Sullivan’s Foods in the 700 block of Elida Street in Winnebago, Ill., around 8 pm. Friday, before checking into the Rockford hotel later that night. Her body was found inside the hotel room at about 12:30 p.m. the next day.
Timothy is 4'2" and around 70 pounds with brown hair and eyes.
Anyone with information is asked to call Aurora Police at (630) 256-5500, or their local authorities by dialing 911.
