DNA results show person who said he was missing boy from Illinois is an adult from Ohio

A person who told police in Kentucky he is Timmothy Pitzen, a boy who disappeared from Aurora, Illinois, in 2011, is not actually the missing child, police said Thursday.

DNA test results show the person is 23-year-old Brian Michael Rini of Medina, Ohio, a law enforcement official told NBC News. Rini was found wandering the streets on Wednesday, and told police officers he was Pitzen, who would now be 14. He said he had just escaped from a Red Roof Inn in Ohio, where he was staying with two men who kidnapped him seven years ago.

Pitzen was 6 years old when he vanished in 2011. His mother was found dead in an Illinois hotel room, and authorities said she left notes saying her son was safe but no one would ever be able to find him. "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," the Aurora Police Department said in a statement.

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Pitzen's aunt, Kara Jacobs, said the family believes he is still alive, and they "will never stop looking for you, praying for you, and love you. We hope that everyone will join us in praying for the young man who claimed to be Timmothy Pitzen."