Timmothy Pitzen

0:00This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by Shopify. I think most people have a dream of starting their own business, but what they don't tell you is that you're going to be wearing a lot of hats and that your to-do list is never-ending and always growing. Finding that right tool that not only helps you out, but simplifies everything can be a game changer. For millions of businesses, that tool is Shopify. They're the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world, like Mattel. They also help you build your online store with hundreds of ready-to-use templates. They can even help you write product descriptions, page headlines, and enhance your product photography.

0:38And marketing, they've got that covered too. You can easily create email and social media campaigns wherever your customers are scrolling or strolling. If you're ready to sell, you're ready for Shopify. Turn your big business idea into with Shopify on your side. Sign up for your$1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com slash justice. Go to shopify.com slash justice. Shopify.com slash justice.

1:11It's Hulu-een on Disney+. Watch frightful family favorites like Hocus Pocus and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas on Disney+. I am the Pumpkin King! Then take the terror to ten with a thrilling new remake of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Scream, and more with Hulu-een on Disney+. All these and more screaming this Halloween season. with Hulu on Disney+. Bundle subscription required. 18+. Select Hulu content via Disney+. Additional content on Hulu app. Terms apply. Visit Disneyplus.com slash Hulu for details. This episode discusses the topics of suicide and self-harm. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available.

1:50In the U.S. and Canada, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

2:03Voices for Justice is a podcast that uses adult language and discusses sensitive and potentially triggering topics including violence, abuse, and murder. This podcast may not be appropriate for younger audiences. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Some names have been changed or omitted per their request or for safety purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney and this is Voices for Justice.

2:36Today, I'm discussing the disappearance of Timothy Pitson. In May 2011, Timothy Pitson's case dominated the news cycle. The details were just really shocking. He'd been secretly pulled out of school by his mom, who was later found deceased. But six-year-old Timothy was nowhere to be found. All investigators knew about Timothy's whereabouts or what his mother left in her final notes. that he was safe, but he'd never be found. This is the disappearance of Timothy Pitson. Jim and Amy Pitson didn't have the perfect marriage. They met in 2002 at a party for Amy. Not long after, they'd found themselves in a long-distance relationship.

3:23And two years later, they had their first and only child, a boy named Timothy. By May 2011, they'd been married for seven years, and like many marriages, that took a lot of work. Over the years, Jim has been very forthcoming with many media outlets that he and Amy did fight, and while most of these arguments were over smaller grievances, in 2008, Jim found a series of text messages between Amy and one of her ex-husbands. He gave Amy a clear ultimatum, him or her ex. He also warned Amy that if she chose to leave, he would fight and win custody of their young son, Timothy. Amy chose to stay with Jim.

4:06But, according to her younger sister, Kara, this wasn't a threat that Amy took lightly. It stuck with her and terrified her. To understand Timothy's story, it's important to understand that Amy had a history of mental health concerns, specifically depression. Before Amy met Jim, she parked her car on a set of train tracks, planning to die by suicide. But she moved her vehicle at the last minute. She checked herself into a mental health facility to receive treatment not long after. The next incident happened shortly after she and Jim started dating. One day, Jim got a call from a Cedar Rapids hospital.

4:47Amy had fallen 30 feet down an embankment after taking a handful of sleeping pills. Amy assured Jim that after adjusting her medication, she was feeling better. In an interview with Brian Smith for Chicago Magazine, Amy's sister Kara explains that despite all the medication and counseling, she just feels like Amy was never truly happy. Even after Timothy, her miracle baby, was born. The thing is, Amy never actually wanted kids. She was afraid that they'd struggle with depression as well. She and Jim also thought it was just physically impossible. Jim received chemotherapy treatments for Hodgkin's lymphoma when he was 20, and he thought he was sterile.

5:30So when Amy got pregnant in early 2004, she and Jim considered it not only a miracle, but a sign. A sign that Timothy was meant to be in their lives. So they just jumped in. By May, they were married and settled in Aurora, Illinois, ready to embark on the next stage of their lives as parents. By all accounts, Timothy was extremely special to Amy. He was actually named after her brother who'd passed at birth, and her sister Kara says everything seemed to change after this. In that article for Chicago Magazine, she said, quote, It was like all of a sudden her life had meaning, end quote. And it seemed like Amy was happy, Until she wasn't.

6:17After Amy lost her job, things got tense, and she and Jim were fighting again. Amy's fourth marriage was seemingly failing. Now, I just want to say that depression and mental health are deeply personal and intimate. I would never assume to know exactly what was going on in Amy's head during this time. My goal is to try to make you understand what Jim and Amy's family knew as the events of Timothy's disappearance unfold. About a week before Timothy went missing, Amy went on a girl's trip to the Bahamas, and Jim wasn't very happy that she'd chosen to not invite him and Timothy along, but he was glad that she was in good spirits when he picked her up from the airport after.

7:00Jim says that things definitely weren't perfect, they were tense, but Amy seemed like she was back to her normal. The next week, Amy came home from work early, saying that she wasn't feeling well. She had been suffering from about a vertigo, and Jim did not want her to even try to drive. So while Amy would typically drop Timothy off at kindergarten before heading to work, Jim planned to take care of all of that before going into work a little bit late the next day. So, just before 8am on Wednesday, May 11th, 2011, Jim dropped Timothy off at Greenman Elementary School. Timothy waves, says love you dad, Jim says love you too, I'll see you in a little bit.

7:42and he watches his son walk away. The same thing happens when Jim drops Amy off. They exchange I love yous and Amy heads into work. Now, Timothy is only six and his kindergarten class is only a few hours long. So before he knows it, Jim is back at the school to pick up his son by 10.30. He parks his Jeep, but does not expect what he hears next. Timothy isn't there. Amy had signed him out. This message is sponsored by Greenlight. Money is this invisible thread that ties us all together. It's something everyone has to deal with. That's why teaching kids about money isn't just smart, it's essential.

8:25Greenlight is a debit card and money app for families. It's a safe way to teach kids and teens about money. With Greenlight, parents can send money quickly, get spending notifications, and even assign chores. Greenlight turns responsibility into real-world learning. Kids and teens learn how to save, invest, and build money confidence. Skills that can really make all the difference in their future. If I had Greenlight growing up, maybe I would have learned that money is a tool I could use for my future. Not something to fear or fall for. Not to mention the magic of compounding interest. Give your kids the financial education many of us didn't get.

9:02Join millions of parents already using Greenlight, the number one family finance and safety app. Start your risk-free Greenlight trial today at greenlight.com slash justice. That's greenlight.com slash justice to get started. Greenlight.com slash justice.

9:22Jim learns that Amy walked to Timothy's school from her work, told them there was a family emergency, and signed him out at about 8.30am. Jim's angry. He's not aware of any family emergency. and if something did happen, Amy did not communicate that with him before grabbing Timothy. He calls and calls Amy's phone, but there's no answer. He leaves her a message asking her to please talk to him, but there's nothing on Amy's end. Now, Jim takes off the rest of the day from work, but he doesn't exactly panic. Amy's actually done something similar in the past. She's known for taking off when she gets upset, but she'd never taken Timothy before.

10:08So Jim calls again, and leaves a message telling Amy that he's not mad, he just wants to know what's going on. When Jim reaches out to Kara, Amy's sister, she confirms that she doesn't know anything about a family emergency on her end. But she does try to ease his concerns. She told Jim that if they'd been fighting, which they had, she probably just needed some time to cool off. And Jim was a little relieved when he got home, and he saw that Amy's vehicle was gone, but her suitcase and most of her personal items were still at home. So he kind of just lets out this small sigh of relief. Wherever Amy is, it doesn't look like she's going to be gone for very long.

10:50But of course, there is still a child who is unaccounted for. So with no sign of Amy or Timothy, Jim decides that he needs to report them missing to the Aurora PD. We know that Amy was suffering from vertigo, which if you don't know can make you extremely dizzy, to the point of the room spinning in severe cases. Really, just her driving with Timothy is enough to cause concern. But they tell Jim that Timothy's with his mom, and they wanted to give it some time to see how it would shake out. But more hours, more time is passing without Jim hearing from Amy And he's becoming increasingly concerned about her struggles with her mental health So he checks the medicine cabinet to see if Amy had been taking her medication And she clearly had not Jim goes from concerned to terrified But really more for Amy See, Jim, Kara, and most everybody who knew Amy believed and still believed that she would never hurt Timothy.

11:54Despite all her struggles, Amy seemed to pull together everything she had to try to do her best for her son. At this point, no one is ready to think that she may have harmed him in any way. Just that she is likely going through some sort of crisis. On Thursday, two officers come to Jim's work and finally take an official missing persons report. They also collect a photo of Amy and Timothy to circulate. They tell Jim that they'll be in touch if anything comes up. On Friday, Jim gets the call that he'd been waiting for. It appears that Amy and Timothy are fine. It seems that it's at this point around Friday that Amy is very aware that her family and the police are looking for her.

12:40She calls the Aurora Police Department to say that everything's fine. She also reaches out to her mom, who relays the message that Amy is upset, she needs some time, but she's fine. It's around this same time that Amy also makes a call to Jim's older brother Chuck. She says that she just needed a break, and that everything's fine. Chuck actually invites Amy and Timothy to come stay with him in Waterloo, Iowa. But Amy fights back against this. She asks Chuck if he trusts her, saying she won't hurt herself or Timothy. Chuck can actually hear Timothy in the background, and they end up speaking to each other.

13:19Timothy says that he's okay, but a little bit hungry. Chuck pleads with Amy that Jim needs to know where they are, and Amy responds in a way that really disturbed Chuck. She said, Tim is my son, and I can do what I want. Of course, right after talking with Amy, Chuck calls Jim and tells him everything that happened. Jim tries calling Amy again, but there's no answer. Jim really isn't happy that he can't speak with Amy or his son, but he is relieved that they're at least safe. The next day, Saturday, May 14th, Jim's at home, hoping to hear from Amy when two detectives from the Aurora Police Department knock on his door.

14:05Jim is again relieved, thinking Timothy and Amy must have been found. But that was only partially true. They begin asking Jim what he'd done the night before. Jim says he was just at home watching TV. He fell asleep on the couch waiting for Amy and Timothy to come home. But looking back, Jim realizes that the investigators were trying to establish an alibi. because after Jim answers all their questions, they tell him something that changes his entire life in an instant. Amy had been found in a motel room in Rockford, Illinois, about an hour southeast of their home. She'd died by suicide, and Timothy was nowhere to be found.

14:51It was at about noon that a housekeeper knocked on Amy's door. There was no answer. When she opened it, she found that the internal chain lock was still engaged And when she peeks inside, really all she sees is blood Amy had taken a large amount of antihistamines She also cut her wrist and her neck Her manner of death was officially ruled a suicide When Jim went to identify Amy's body, he was still in disbelief He said that he was holding out hope that maybe it wasn't Amy who was found in that motel room. That maybe she and Timothy were still out there somewhere. But after he asked them to confirm a birthmark Amy had on her leg, the reality that Amy really was gone began to set in.

15:42I can't even imagine how it felt for this family to hear this news. I mean, really, they don't even have time to grasp this information, let alone mourn Amy before their minds begin to race about Timothy. If he's not here with Amy, where is he? Well, on the desk in the motel they found Amy's ID, identification for Timothy, and a note. They'd later discover that she'd mailed out others as well. But it didn't really help the investigators or this family better understand exactly what happened. Much of the contents of these letters have never been released to the public, but we do know that throughout the letters, Amy apologized to the housekeeper for the mess, and she apologizes to her loved ones.

16:33She explains that she just didn't feel like she belonged. She felt like she did for a while after Timothy was born. But in the end, it just wasn't enough. In her letter to her mother, she also says, quote, I can't take the chance of Jim hurting Tim because of my choices, end quote. According to Jim, Amy also expresses her negative feelings towards him, calling him a loser, among other things. He believes that she wanted to make it clear that she was going to hurt him in the same way that she'd felt hurt by him. And as far as Timothy, she said that he is safe, in the care of someone that she doesn't name.

17:17And probably most haunting of all, she says that he will never be found. The FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children joined the Aurora PD in searching for Timothy pretty much immediately. Unfortunately, there were a few clues found in that motel room, though. Almost nothing of Timothy's was there. Not the Spider-Man backpack he went to school with, not his toothbrush, no toys, or any other items you'd need to care for a six-year-old child. There was one exception, though. A partially empty bottle of triaminic, a liquid cough and cold medicine for kids. But Amy's toxicology report has never been released to the public, so I can't say for sure if she drank it or if she gave it to Timothy in order to sedate him, maybe to harm him or hand him off to whoever she claims he's safe with.

18:12Other than Timothy's ID that Amy left on the desk, only one of his items was found inside that motel room. It was a t-shirt from the Brookfield Zoo. This was really investigators' first clue that Amy didn't just take him right to this motel. They would later learn that after taking him out of school, she took him to the zoo and bought matching t-shirts. Kara has theorized that Amy kept this just one piece of clothing to have something of his at the end. But again, this shirt was just one clue about where Timothy and Amy had been for the last few days. Of course, over time, they get even more evidence.

18:52And using Amy's notes, video surveillance, cell phone, and bank records, they were able to put together a rather solid timeline of what happened in the days between Amy picking Timothy up and her death in Rockford. Here's what we know. About 20 minutes after Jim dropped Amy off at work on May 11th, she told her boss that she wasn't feeling well and left. She walked to Timothy's school, signed him out, and they walked home together. From here, Amy and Timothy get in her Ford Expedition and drive towards the Brookfield Zoo, about 30 miles outside of Chicago. But before she could get there, she has some car troubles and stops in LaGrange to have her alternator fixed.

19:32It's actually an employee from the mechanic shop that dropped them off at the zoo. There, they buy their matching t-shirts, look at the animals, and at about 3 p.m. they leave to pick up Amy's SUV. From here, Amy drives about 45 miles north to the Key Lime Resort in Gurney. This is a hotel and water park that they'd visited many times in the past, and they stay the night here. They are captured on video surveillance, and really nothing looks out of the ordinary. The next day, Thursday, May 12th, they drive 163 miles to Wisconsin Dells to go to another water park. Along the way, they stop at a Shopko store to get some items that look like they're for Timothy.

20:15Toys and children's clothing. That's at about 11.30am. At 2.20pm, Amy stops in Johnson Creek to buy gas. She and Timothy then check into the Kalahara Resort, where they're seen again on surveillance video shortly after. They stay the night, and at about 7.30 on Friday the 13th, Amy orders room service. Then, a few hours later, she and Timothy are seen again on surveillance for the very last time checking out of the resort. Timothy's holding Amy's hand, and really just seems to be bored waiting in line. Again, nothing that raises an immediate concern if you don't know what's going on. They leave at about 10.10am.

20:58Up to this point, Amy's path seems pretty clear. She's headed in a direction that makes sense, she's taking main roads, but that starts to change when she begins calling people back between 12pm and 1.30pm. We already know that she called police, her mom, and Jim's brother Chuck, but Jim later discovers that she actually tried to call him too, but for some reason the call didn't go through. He theorizes that maybe this is why Amy called his brother Chuck, but of course, no one can say for sure. After leaving the resort, Amy drives back towards Illinois, driving about 170 miles towards Sterling, about 80 miles west of Aurora.

21:40She pulls over somewhere in the Dixon, Sterling, Rock Falls area, and then heads towards Pleasant Valley Township near the border of Illinois and Iowa, where, according to reporting by NBC's Chicago, she pulls off a remote road, turns her phone off, and throws it behind a grain storage building. But we know that this isn't the last trace of Amy. At about 7.25 p.m., she purchased stationery from a family dollar store in Winnebago, Illinois. Specifically, she bought a pen, envelopes, and paper. Presumably, of course, to use to write those notes. At about 8 p.m., she's seen again on surveillance at Sullivan's grocery store west of Rockford.

22:24Here, she buys her favorite snack, Ritz crackers and milk. Amy waits in the parking lot for a while. Her sister Kara believes that she was probably writing those notes and letters. She then mails some of those letters at a post office across the street. But these are the trips that really concern investigators. Because after checking out of the water park, she's now being seen alone during these shopping trips and at the post office. She's also wearing a completely different outfit than what she was seen wearing earlier in the day. And those clothes that she was wearing earlier were never recovered.

23:05While we can't say for sure, it seems very likely that whatever happened to Timothy happened after checking out of the resort and before going to buy stationery. And of course, we know that about 16 hours later, Amy is found deceased in her motel room in Rockford. This is when some of the biggest and probably most confusing clues in the case are found, in and on Amy's SUV that is still in the parking lot. When investigators get inside, the first thing they notice is blood. And after testing, they confirm that it is Timothy's blood. While this does appear to be clear-cut, it really isn't. We don't know how much blood was found.

23:49Reports do differ. Some say a little, some say a significant amount of blood. We just don't know. And the discovery of this blood wasn't actually that surprising to people who knew Amy and Timothy. He was apparently prone to nosebleeds, and had a pretty nasty one just a few months before. Most of his loved ones do think that this blood came from a nosebleed versus something more nefarious. And that's the thing about this case. Most people who knew Amy thought and still think that there's no way she could have harmed Timothy, including Jim. So while this discovery feels really shocking, it doesn't give us any definitive proof that Amy hurt Timothy, or that he's deceased.

24:34But they do find something else that they think will be even more helpful to this case. They notice that Amy's SUV was really dirty. There was dirt all on the outside, and underneath, they found dirt, grass, and weeds. They also found a small amount of this same dirt on the seed where Timothy's blood was found. And I have to give credit to these investigators. Because they grabbed these samples, sent them off to experts at the Microtrace Lab in Elgin for testing, and they concluded that this dirt and this plant matter was unique to certain areas in western Illinois. They aren't able to say exactly where Amy was, but it does allow them to greatly narrow the search.

25:18That makes these investigators and this team at the lab our heroes of this episode. At this point, the search for Timothy is on. They search along Amy's route for any sign of Timothy, specifically focusing on the remote roads, remote areas, and state parks in the area where her phone last pinged. Police also check Amy's I-Pass information Now, if you're like me and live in an area without toll roads, you may not know what an I-Pass is It's basically an electronic toll collection system used in Illinois Essentially, it would track Amy's movements to ensure they charge her should she use a toll road And this I-Pass system is part of how they discover that it wasn't Amy's first time in this area where her phone last pinged For some reason, she had visited this same area twice before earlier that same year.

26:13Of course, they go to her loved ones and ask if they know of Amy making any trips out here or why she would be in this area. But no one knows. The prevailing theories are that Amy either traveled out here to ensure that no one saw her pass Timothy off to someone else, or to ensure that no one saw her conceal his remains. Meanwhile, Jim goes to the media to beg for Timothy's safe return Hoping his son is still out there somewhere alive But after exhausting all search and investigative efforts The case goes cold for many years The major media pop fizzles out That is until 2019 When someone comes forward to say that they are Timothy Pitson When it comes to what your family eats and drinks, you know your choices matter.

27:08You're the expert because you know what fits your life. And getting it right starts with good information. That's why America's beverage companies are sharing more information about our ingredients at GoodToKnowFacts.org. No spin, no judgments, just the facts straight from the experts for more than 140 beverage ingredients. Visit GoodToKnowFacts.org. Some things never go out of style, like trust, reliability, and driving a Toyota. Take the legendary Camry and Corolla, designed for comfort, engineered for performance. Hurry in. Offers end November 3rd. Toyota. Let's go places. In April 2019, in Newport, Kentucky, a man comes forward to say that he'd been kidnapped and sex trafficked, and that he needs help.

27:58The name he gives is Timothy Pitson. At this point, Timothy would be 14 now. He also goes into graphic detail about his captors and the abuse that he suffered, which is shared with Timothy's family, confirming their worst fears. So when Jim hears the news that his son may have been found, his mind begins racing. He's ready to get things in order for Timothy to come home. He's thinking about treatment, enrolling him in school, how he might need to teach him to shave, that he'd finally get the chance to teach him how to drive. He said, quote, I'm going to be getting my son, change my routine, get back into family mode.