Case Details

According to source,

Twenty years ago on April 10, 2001, a Scottsdale house exploded in flames, and firefighters found three bodies inside.

A mother and two children had died. The father and husband was missing. Suspicions quickly turned to that man, Robert Fisher, who had not showed up for work at the Mayo Clinic Hospital that morning.

Police soon concluded that he had killed his wife, Mary, and two children, Brittney and Bobby, and rigged an explosion to burn down the house and cover up the crimes.

His Toyota 4Runner was found 10 days later in a remote part of the Tonto National Forest east of Payson. But a manhunt failed to turn up any sign of him. Law enforcement was left with little to go on. Did the 40-year-old cardiovascular technician hitchhike out? Did he have help getting away? Or did he die, perhaps by suicide, in the woods?

The FBI added Fisher to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list a year later, further boosting his profile as Arizona’s most notorious fugitive.

Two decades and many false sightings later, the Scottsdale police detective in charge of the case, John Heinzelman, still receives two to three tips a week about Fisher, or about 100 leads a year.

The Arizona Republic spent three months researching the Fisher case for the 20th anniversary of the case that happened April 10, 2001, conducting interviews with friends and unearthing police reports and court records that shed new light on one of Arizona’s most enduring mysteries.

He was last seen April 9, 2001 at 10:42p – the day before his family was killed.

Distinguishing Marks

Not Available

Profession / Education

Not Available

Investigative Details

  • Foul Play Suspected: Unknown / Undisclosed
  • Suicide Suspected: Unknown / Undisclosed
  • Cause of Death: Not Applicable

Significant Dates

  • Reported Missing: Tuesday, April 10, 2001 (24 years ago)
  • Date Found: No Date Available

POIs

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Monday, January 8, 2024 (1 year ago)

Missing NPF Public Identification Number (MPID) 10263

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