AURORA – Police in Aurora searching for a 6-year-old boy whose mother committed suicide say they've found the boy's blood in the backseat of the woman's vehicle.
Aurora police released new information Thursday in the investigation into Timmothy Pitzen's disappearance. The body of his mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, was found in a Rockford hotel May 15.
Police say they don't know how long the boy's blood was in the vehicle. Family members told authorities it's possible the blood came from a bloody nose the boy suffered over the last 12 to 18 months.
A private forensics lab is continuing tests on the SUV. Police are seeking the public's help to locate the boy. Aurora Area Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward.
Aurora Police say that although she had no known ties to either the area where she killed herself or where she and Timmothy were last known to be together in the Dixon/Rock Falls/Sterline area, they have discovered that she took two trips to the Dixon/Rock Falls/Sterling area during the winter that family members cannot explain.
According to I-Pass records, Fry-Pitzen traveled in her SUV through the Orchard Road Toll Plaza in Aurora on Feb. 18 at 3:58 p.m., the DeKalb Toll Plaza at 4:21 p.m., and the Dixon Toll Plaza at 4:45 p.m. Her vehicle was then traced on a return trip the same day at 8:58 p.m. in Dixon, 9:21 p.m. in DeKalb, and 9:44 p.m. at Orchard Road, according to information on the department's website.
The second unaccounted for trip was on March 20 when her transponder hit on the Orchard Road Toll Plaza at 9:11 a.m., DeKalb at 9:34 a.m., and Dixon at 9:59 a.m. Her return trip on the same day showed her in Dixon at 3:42 p.m., DeKalb at 4:07 p.m., and Orchard Road at 4:30 p.m.
This Saturday marks three months since the boy disappeared.
Investigators have still not found Fry-Pitzen's cell phone, I-Pass device, Timmothy's Spider Man backpack, or any of the toys or other items that were missing from the Pitzen vehicle, according to the website.
Pictures of the missing toys and Fry-Pitzen's SUV can be viewed at www.aurora-il.org/policedepartment/timmothy_pitzen.php
Police also said that clothing Fry-Pitzen was wearing is not accounted for, including a pair of brown Capri pants, a white or light pink top, and a pair of sandal-type shoes with high soles. Police continue to ask land owners, residents, visitors to parks including canoeists, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts in the I-88 and I-39 corridors to be on the lookout for the items. Anyone coming across them should call their local law enforcement agency or 9-1-1.