Can You Help? New Age-Progression Photo Reignites Search for Missing Aurora Boy
What would 10-year-old missing child Timmothy Pitzen look like today?
The Aurora Police Department and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children have released an image that answers that question.
The new age-progression photo shows what the young man might look like, four years after his disappearance from Aurora. The 6-year-old was last seen May 11, 2011, after a trip with his mother, who was found dead in a Rockford motel. What happened to Timmothy has been a mystery ever since.
“NCMEC forensic artists do amazing work, and their images have helped bring home hundreds of other children before. This important tool may hold the key to bringing Timmothy home,” said Det. Lee Catavu of the Aurora Police Department. As the lead investigator in Timmothy’s case, Catavu says he’s still confident someone will call in with the right information that will help solve Timmothy’s case.
NCMEC has been creating age-progressions for 26 years — about 6,000 age progressions in total. According to NCMEC, 1,300 long term missing children have been recovered wherein an age-progression image was created.
Timmothy Pitzen would be 10 years old now. When he went missing, he was about 4 feet 2 inches tall and weighed around 70 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Timmothy may go by the nicknames Tim or Timmy. Anyone who may have information is asked to call The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or Aurora Police at (630) 256-5500.
Seeking public assistance
Investigators are asking landowners and residents in northwestern Illinois to search their properties for several missing items that may help pinpoint what happened to Timmothy. Since there are several state parks and other popular areas for outdoor activity in the area, police are asking hikers, bikers, boaters and other visitors to be on the lookout for clues.
Police have shared the following missing items that may help find Timmothy:
- Timmothy’s Spider-Man backpack
- Amy’s I-Pass device
- Several toys and a tube of toothpaste that Amy bought for Timmothy before he disappeared
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is the leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working with law enforcement, families and the professionals who serve them on issues relating to missing and sexually exploited children. Established in 1984 and authorized by Congress to serve as the nation’s clearinghouse on these issues, NCMEC operates a hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678), and has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 205,550 children. NCMEC also operates the CyberTipline, a mechanism for reporting child pornography, child sex trafficking and other forms of child sexual exploitation. Since it was created in 1998, more than 4.5 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation have been received, and more than 141 million suspected child pornography images have been reviewed. NCMEC works in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. To learn more about NCMEC, visit www.missingkids.com. Follow NCMEC on Twitter and like NCMEC on Facebook.
SOURCE: City of Aurora Police Department, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
