A teenager has said he is a boy who disappeared almost eight years ago.
The 14-year-old, who was covered in bruises, told a passerby that he is missing Timmothy Pitzen, who vanished in May 2011 aged six.
Pitzen, from Aurora in Illinois, disappeared after his mother picked him up from school and took him on a holiday, she later killed herself in a motel.
The teen, who claims to be Timmothy, was found around hundreds of miles away in Newport, Kentucky and told a stranger that he had been held by kidnappers at an inn in Cincinnati, Ohio, but had managed to escape.
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He said after fleeing from the room he 'kept running across a bridge' and seemingly crossed the state line in to Kentucky. According to CBS Chicago, a woman who spoke to the boy said he had been running for 'two hours' and that he'd been 'passed around for seven years'.
An official report about the case states: "Timothy described the two kidnappers as two male, whites, body-builder type build.
"One had black curly hair, Mt. Dew shirt and jeans and has a spider web tattoo on his neck. The other was short in stature and had a snake tattoo on his arms."
Cops from Aurora are now working to verify the teen's claims. A statement from police, read: "We've probably had thousands of tips of him popping up in different areas.
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"We have no idea what we're driving down there for.
"It could be Pitzen. It could be a hoax."
Aurora Police Sgt. Bill Rowley said: "We have no idea if this is Timmothy Pitzen. We don't know if it's a hoax. Obviously, everyone's hopeful, but we have to be super judicious."
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Police are carrying out DNA tests in an attempt to verify the boy's claims.
The teen was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where he is currently under the care of state officials.
Timmothy's grandmother Alana Anderson told WISN-TV: "We just know a 14-year-old boy was found and went to the police.
"We don't want to get our hopes up and our family's hopes up until we know something.
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"We've had false reports and false hopes before."
Back in May 2011, Timmothy's mother Amy Fry-Pitzen picked him up from school and took him on a three-day holiday, which included a trip to water parks and a zoo before checking into a motel.
Two days later her body was found in the room and there was no sign of Timmothy. According to reports at the time, a note was found which said the boy was safe but added, 'you'll never find him'.
Featured Image Credit: Aurora Police Department