Mary, Bobby & Brittney Fisher

Case background and investigation

On the morning of April 10, 2001, an explosion and fire destroyed the Fisher family's house in Scottsdale, Arizona. Inside, responders found the bodies of Mary Fisher and her two children, Brittney and Bobby. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, all three had their throats cut and Mary Fisher had also been shot in the head. Investigators concluded that a natural gas line in the house had been disconnected to cause the blast.

Mary Fisher's husband, Robert William Fisher, then about 40, was not in the house and could not be found. ABC15 reported that the last confirmed sighting of him came the evening before the explosion, when a surveillance camera recorded him withdrawing $280 from an ATM. Police allege that he killed his family and set up the explosion; FOX 10 reported that investigators believe the motive was connected to his wife's intention to divorce him. Fisher has not been tried, and these remain allegations.

The family's SUV was found abandoned in the Tonto National Forest near Young, Arizona, roughly 90 to 100 miles from Scottsdale. Wikipedia's account dates the discovery to April 20, 2001; news reports describe it as days to two weeks after the explosion. The family dog was found with the vehicle. More than 100 officers searched the surrounding mountainous terrain, FOX 10 reported, and the search was called off after several days without any trace of Fisher, who was described as an experienced outdoorsman and hunter.

Fisher was charged in Arizona with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of arson, and a federal warrant was issued for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. On June 29, 2002, the FBI added him to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. A reward of up to $100,000 was offered for information leading to his arrest.

On November 3, 2021, the FBI removed Fisher from the Ten Most Wanted list. According to FOX 10, the bureau said that nearly 20 years of extensive publicity had not led to his location or capture. The removal did not change his legal status: the charges and warrants remain in place and he is still a wanted fugitive.

In coverage marking 25 years since the killings, ABC15 reported that Scottsdale police still treat the case as active and receive one to two tips a week. Detective John Heinzelman, the third lead investigator on the case, told the station he thinks it likely that Fisher died by suicide in the forest, given that there has been no confirmed sighting since 2001, while acknowledging that Fisher may instead have fled and taken on a new identity. No remains have been identified as his.