CINCINNATI (AP) — Authorities have rejected a man’s claim that he is an Illinois boy who disappeared in 2011 at age 6.
Our sister station, WLWT, reports that Newport Police have identified the young man as 23-year-old Brian Michael Rini, of Medina, Ohio. He was released from an Ohio prison less than a month ago after serving more than a year for burglary and vandalism.
The FBI says DNA testing ruled out the man as being Timmothy Pitzen, missing from Aurora, Illinois. Police say the story of the teenager found wandering streets in Newport, Kentucky, on Wednesday didn’t check out.
Pitzen’s family gave a statement after the news broke Thursday afternoon:
FBILouisville, @FBICincinnati, @AuroraPoliceIL, Newport PD, @CincyPD, and HCSO have been conducting a missing person investigation. DNA results have been returned indicating the person in question is not Timmothy Pitzen.— FBI Louisville (@FBILouisville) April 4, 2019
The teenager told police that he was Timmothy and that he had escaped two kidnappers.
Timmothy Pitzen disappeared around the time his mother killed herself after leaving a note that her 6-year-old son was fine but that no one would ever find him.
A local investigation continues into this person’s true identity. To be clear, law enforcement has not and will not forget Timmothy, and we hope to one day reunite him with his family. Unfortunately, that day will not be today.— FBI Louisville (@FBILouisville) April 4, 2019
Police and the boy’s family say there have been other false sightings over the years.
The Aurora Police Department held a press conference regarding the findings:
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