"I'm very hopeful that Timmothy will be home soon," James Pitzen, Timmothy's father, said.
Video released by police shows Timmothy, who turned 7 a few weeks ago, and his mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, at a Wisconsin Dell resort last May. Her body was found in Rockford motel along with a suicide note that she had left the boy with friends, but did not name them.
Investigators hope forensic tests conducted by a private lab hired by the Aurora Police Department will point search parties in the right direction. Sediments and plant materials found on the SUV Fry-Pitzen was driving indicate she may have been in northwestern Illinois.
"There is in northwestern Illinois, there is a lot of hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, there is a lot of state parks out there," Dan Ferrelli, Aurora Police Department spokesperson, said.
Results show Fry-Pitzen stopped for a period of time on a wide gravel road or shoulder that had been treated with glass road making beads and then backed up into a meadow where both Queen Anne's Lace and black mustard plants grow in a row along the shoulder. Scientists think a pond, small stream or creek is in the area.
Police are also asking people to check for items missing from Fry-Pitzen's vehicle, which includes Timmothy's Spiderman backpack.
"Take a look for some of these items: the missing toys, maybe a cell phone, iPass device," Ferelli said.
Those findings are helpful, but investigators still don't have enough information to plan ground searches, police said.
Timmothy's grandmother is hopeful the boy will be found safe.
"He's out there. I will never believe my daughter hurt her child. I believe my daughter did the best that she could for him or what she thought was the best she could do for him. I think she was wrong," Alana Anderson, Fry-Pitzen's mother, said. "One thing I do not want in any of the media articles is that my daughter was mentally ill. She was not. All I can do is hope she made a decent choice and chose good people."
Anyone with information about Timmothy's disappearance is asked to call Aurora Police at (630) 256-5500, or their local police at 911. Aurora Area Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of $5,000 reward for information that leads to Timmothy. The phone number is (630) 892-1000.
