'Boy' Claiming To Be Timmothy Pitzen Actually 23-Year-Old Kentucky Man

Authorities have rejected a man's claim that he is an Illinois boy who disappeared in 2011 at age 6.

The FBI says DNA testing ruled out the man as being Timmothy Pitzen, missing from Aurora, Illinois. Police say the story of the man found wandering streets in Newport, Kentucky, on Wednesday didn't check out.

The man, who, according to WLWT5 in Cincinatti, is actually 23-year-old Brian Michael Rini. He reportedly told police that he was Timmothy and that he had escaped two kidnappers.

"Although we are disappointed that this turned out to be a hoax, we remain diligent in our search for Timmothy, as our missing person's case remains unsolved," officials with the Aurora Police Department said, according to WLWT5.

In 2011, a boy by the name of Timmothy Pitzen from Aurora, Illinois, vanished at age 6 after his mother pulled him out of kindergarten early one day, took him on a two-day road trip to the zoo and a water park, and then killed herself at a hotel. She left a note saying that her son was safe but that no one would ever find him.

The case baffled police, Timmothy's family and his hometown for years and left them wondering whether he was dead or alive.

Police and the boy's family say there have been other false sightings over the years. They initially reacted cautiously to the latest turn in the case after a multitude of false leads and hoaxes over the years.

"There have been so many tips and sightings and whatnot, and you try not to panic or be overly excited," said Timmothy's grandmother, Alana Anderson. "Every day you hope, and every day you worry."

Timmothy's mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, was found dead at a hotel in Illinois in what was ruled a suicide, leaving a note that said Timmothy was with others who would love and care for him. People magazine reported that she added a chilling message: "You will never find him."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.