Podcast uncovers altered timeline from witnesses in Robert Fisher case

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A new podcast has uncovered new clues in the infamous unsolved case of Robert Fisher, the Scottsdale father believed to have murdered his family before their house exploded back in 2001.

For the first time, we’re getting a look at what he found and the new reward for information that leads to the arrest of one of the Valley’s most elusive fugitives.

It’s a case that’s drawn attention for decades, including that of our True Crime Arizona team, with the documentary “Finding Robert Fisher” in 2022.

Now, we’re working with the iHeartMedia team, and their new podcast, “Missing in Arizona,” dives deeper into this case than ever before.

“We found new witnesses who changed the timeline entirely,” said Jon Walczak, journalist and host of the new podcast.

He’s conducted more than 60 interviews over two years.

What we’ve known up to now is that Fisher allegedly slit the throats of his daughter Brittney, his son Bobby and his wife Mary. He also reportedly shot Mary in the head.

He’s seen on camera at the ATM down the street in Scottsdale at 10:42 pm on April 9, 2001, with his wife’s 4Runner.

Police believe Robert cut a gas line in the home and lit a candle. The house exploded into flames the next morning around 8:40.

Mary’s car was found 10 days later in the woods of Young, Arizona, about 24 miles southeast of Payson, with Robert’s dog found alive with it, but there was no sign of Robert there or ever again.

“There’s been this question: did he flee after the ATM? Did he go home? Did he have a 10-12 hour start on law enforcement?” said Walczak. “What we found is we found two new witnesses who saw Mary’s SUV at 3:30 and one at 5:30 at the Fisher house. That confirm[s] he definitely did not flee. He definitely went home, and in fact he was still home seven hours later.”

With that information, Robert may have only had a few hours on police before the explosion.

Robert was on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list for years until agents took him off in 2021. That took away any reward money, something Walczak set out to change in partnership with Arizona law enforcement.

“Today I’m announcing that I’m funding a $10,000 reward with Silent Witness. They’re kicking in $2,000,” Walczak said.

They also used forensic artists to create new age progression photos of Robert, the first time that’s been done in eight years.

Detectives working on this case have been split on whether they believe Robert is dead or alive.

“After two years of researching this, I very strongly think that Robert Fisher is alive and I’m working this hard because I want to find him,” said Walczak. “I think that Robert Fisher planned this out. I think that he left the SUV in the forest as a diversion and that somebody drove him out of there and he escaped.”

The first episode of “Missing in Arizona” is already out wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, with a new episode releasing each week for 16 weeks.

True Crime Correspondent Briana Whitney’s interview with Jon Walczak on the podcast will be coming out next month.

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