Robert William Fisher was born on April 13, 1961, and spent his early years in Brooklyn, New York. He deeply idolized his father, William, a strict, demanding, and emotionally distant man who served as the undisputed patriarch of the family. Robert envisioned this as the perfect family dynamic and dreamed of one day becoming a similarly strong, commanding head of his own household. However, this idealized image was shattered when Robert was fifteen, as his parents went through a bitter and highly contentious divorce. The separation devastated him, making him deeply pessimistic and instilling in him a profound, lifelong fear of divorce.In his early adulthood, Robert attempted to join the U.S. Navy SEALs but was repeatedly rejected. Instead, he worked as a firefighter in California until a back injury forced him into retirement. He subsequently moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he found work as a respiratory therapist and medical technician. He was also an avid outdoorsman with a strong passion for hunting, fishing, and survivalist activities. In 1987, he married Mary Hooper, an outgoing and family-oriented woman. The couple soon had two children: a daughter, Brittney, born in 1988, and a son, Robert Jr. (known as Bobby), born in 1990.Behind closed doors, Robert proved to be an incredibly controlling and emotionally awkward husband and father. He governed the household with strange, strict rules, such as demanding that all walls be painted a uniform white, severely limiting the number of pictures displayed, and eventually throwing away handmade gifts given to Mary by her mother. He also exhibited disturbing and dangerous behavior, including shooting a stray dog and throwing his eight- and nine-year-old children out of a boat in an extreme attempt to teach them how to swim.Over the years, the marriage deteriorated. Mary grew tired of Robert's oppressive control over the family's finances and their lack of intimacy. In 1998, Robert was unfaithful with a sex worker, which resulted in Mary contracting an infection. Despite attempting marriage counseling, the relationship remained fractured. Neighbors frequently overheard the couple arguing, with Mary calling Robert a failure and threatening to end the marriage. For Robert, this was his ultimate nightmare, as he was absolutely terrified of his family breaking apart the way his parents' marriage had.On the evening of April 9, 2001, a neighbor heard another intense argument coming from the Fisher home. Later that night, at 10:45 PM, security cameras captured Robert withdrawing $280 from an ATM and driving away in Mary's Toyota 4Runner. The following morning, at 8:42 AM, the Fisher family home exploded in flames. Firefighters discovered the bodies of Mary and the two children inside. Investigators determined they had been murdered hours before the blast, killed with a firearm and a sharp tool. Robert had then intentionally severed a gas line and left a lit candle to destroy the house and the evidence.Robert immediately became the prime suspect. On April 29, 2001, Mary's vehicle was found abandoned in the Tonto National Forest. The family dog, Blue, was found alive underneath the car, indicating that Robert had survived for at least several days after fleeing. In 2002, Robert was added to the list of the Ten Most Wanted fugitives. Despite decades of tips, false sightings, and mistaken arrests, he has never been found. Investigators theorize that his extreme fear of abandonment drove him to annihilate his family rather than accept a divorce. Today, opinions are split: some believe he used his advanced survival skills to escape and build a new life, while others suspect he took his own life in the wilderness, though his remains have never been located. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-pieces--6886558/support.
