How did an Ohio man fool authorities into thinking he was a missing Illinois boy? A detective explains

AURORA, Ill. - The tip that a person turned up claiming to be missing Aurora boy Timmothy Pitzen was unlike any other Lee Catavu had heard in the nearly eight years he's worked the case.

It took him and another Aurora detective to the Cincinnati area, where for more than 24 hours Catavu's emotions slid from high optimism to extreme pessimism until DNA test results revealed the person claiming to be Timmothy was actually a 23-year-old Ohio man. Though Catavu had maintained some skepticism as authorities worked to determine the man's identity, he'd never before heard of someone claiming to be the missing boy.

"At that time, I really couldn't fathom a reason why someone would