Wandering man in Kentucky who told cops he was a missing boy going to prison, feds say

An Ohio man who pleaded guilty to impersonating a missing 6-year-old boy is going to prison.

Michael Rini, 24, told police he was Timmothy Pitzen after they found he him wandering a street in Newport, Kentucky, in April 2019, authorities say. Pitzen had gone missing from Aurora, Illinois, about eight years earlier.

A DNA test later revealed Rini’s true identity. Pitzen still has not been found, leaving the family without answers.

An assistant U.S. attorney said Rini caused “unnecessary pain” for the family with his false claim, The Associated Press reported.

“I wish that I could just take it back,” Rini said at the sentencing, according to the AP. “I am sorry to the family.”

While pretending to be Pitzen, Rini told police officers he “just wanted to go home” and said he escaped from a hotel after two men kidnapped him, authorities say. Rini claimed he was sexually abused for years.

When investigators confronted him about the DNA test, Rini admitted he wasn’t the missing boy and learned of Pitzen’s disappearance while watching ABC’s “20/20,” authorities say.

Rini was sentenced to two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. However, he will be credited for time served and released on probation in four months, the AP reported.

This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Wandering man in Kentucky who told cops he was a missing boy going to prison, feds say."