TADP Season 2 Episode 12 – F.B.I Most Wanted Fugitive Robert Fisher

The armchair detective podcast

F.B.I. MOST WANTED

ROBERT FISHER

Welcome to another episode of the armchair detective podcast, I’m you’re host the armchair detective. Today’s episode will be much different than my other episodes. While in this episode I will be talking about a missing person, this missing person also happens to be on the FBI’s most wanted list. His name is Robert Fisher. This case was brought to my attention by youtube follower Ben. Thanks Ben for your suggestion. If anyone else has suggestions on cases you would like me to feature on my podcast, please let me know. My goal is to have the listeners of the armchair detective podcast to participate in this podcast so again if you have suggestions, or if you would like to participate in an episode by co-hosting an episode about a case that is important to you, please send me an email and let me know.

As I mentioned in my last episode, there will be a few things to look forward to in the upcoming months. I will have some promotional events on the podcast where I will give away promotional gifts to listeners of the podcast. I will also be putting out an e-book in the next few months which will detail my journey into true crime podcasting and will be discussing never released materials about some of my early podcast episodes. I actually already began writting this ebook and will post it to my website armchairdetective.org. The ebook will be sold for $5 per digital copy, however patrons of the podcast will receive free copies.

Now onto today’s case. In today’s episode I start by discussing the details surrounding the tragedy that struck the Fisher family. Then I will discuss the aftermath and subsequent police investigation and I will finish the episode with a call to action. So lets get started:

Scottsdale Arizona, a city known for it’s rich European roots and arid climate. The winters are quite mild to warm however the summers are extremely hot. Scottsdale is also known for it’s tourism industry which is it’s primary employer, accounting for 39% of the city’s workforce. “The West’s most western town” prides itself in its rich Western history, preserving while heavily promoting its plethora of “western” activities and events. The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show has taken place since 1955. Today, the show attracts thousands of visitors and tourists, to see nearly 2000 purebred Arabian and Half-Arabian horses competing for various prizes and recognition.

Scottsdale is also home to a variety of high-end nightclubs, restaurants, hotels, lounges and bars. This is evident by the growing number of style-conscious hotels that have opened up throughout Downtown Scottsdale which equally cater to the nightlife crowds. The city is also the spring training home of the San Francisco Giants, who practice at Scottsdale Stadium in Downtown Scottsdale.

Though none play specifically in the city of Scottsdale, all of the “Big Four” North American major league sports organizations have franchises and play within the Phoenix Metropolitan Area – NBA’s Phoenix Suns, NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, as well as a WNBA franchise, the Phoenix Mercury.

Robert Fisher was just one of over 200,000 Scottsdale residents. Fisher was a U.S. Navy veteran and he married his wife Mary Cooper in 1987. He has worked as a surgical catheter technician, respiratory therapist, and firefighter, and is an avid outdoors man, hunter, and fisherman. He was described by those who knew him as a cruel and distant control freak who was awkward with his children, but tried to keep an image of a devoted husband and father. His mother-in-law, Ginny Cooper, told investigators that, “Fisher didn’t socialize often with family because of a fear of getting too close to people and losing them.”

It’s clear by this comment that Fisher suffered from abandonment issues. Fisher’s mother told investigators that she had been a “yes-sir” wife who didn’t stand up to her husband. She added that she saw similar dynamics early in her son’s marriage to Mary, and had talked to her about her concerns. One close friend of Fisher stated that his family resembled his childhood family.

Fisher was born on April 13^th 1961 in Brooklyn, New York to William Fisher, a banker, and Jan Howell. He has two sisters and attended Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Arizona. His parents divorced in 1976, when he was 15. According to closest to Robert, the divorce was extremely difficult and had long-lasting effects on him. He confided to one associate that his life could have been different if his mother had not left the family.

By all accounts, the Fisher’s were your typical married couple. Both Robert and his wife Mary were active members of the Scottsdale Baptist Church. Robert was actually involved in the men’s ministry, however unlike his wife Mary, Robert began to withdraw from his activities at church.

It seemed like they had it all, the white picket fence and the two kids. But things aren’t always as they seem. The Fisher’s had some problems with their marriage and in 1998, the Fishers went to their church’s senior pastor for marital counseling. Fisher had apparently told some coworkers about a one-night stand he had with a prostitute he met in a massage parlor. He was worried that Mary would find out that it was this one-night stand was the cause of a urinary tract infection that left him ill for several days back in December of 2000. Fisher apparently told a hunting buddy that he was renewing his commitment to his faith and marriage because he “he could not live without his family”, possibly hinting that he would consider suicide over divorce.

With all that Scottsdale has to offer, nothing could prepare it’s residents from the pure evil that was about to take place. It was April 10, 2001 and by all accounts it was just your typical Tuesday evening with mild and arid temperatures. The Fisher family was getting ready for bed in their home in the 2000 block of North 74th Place. But there were some evil lurking behind the white picket fence. The night before the horrific events, a neighbor claimed that they heard a loud argument coming from the Fisher residence on the evening of April 9 2001, April 9, 2001, between 9:30 and 10:15 p.m. Later that same evening at 10:43 p.m. , Robert Fisher, appeared on an ATM camera, with Mary Fisher’s Toyota 4Runner in the background.

In the early hours of April 10, 2001 Scottsdale fire department responded to reports of a house fire 2000 block of North 74th Place. While combing through all the charred remains of the home, investigators made a absolutely shocking discovery. They found Mary Fisher, who was 38 years old at the time. They discovered that her throat had been slit and that she had a gunshot wound in the back of the head. As the firefighters continue combing through the charred remains, they found the body of Brittany, their 12 year old daughter. Her throat had been slit from ear to ear. They also found the body of their 10 year old son Bobby. His throat had also been slit. Their bodies were so badly burned, they were barely recognizable. All three were found in their beds.

Clues immediately pointed to the Scottsdale husband and father, Robert Fisher, who, friends told investigators, was aggressive, controlling, and in an unhappy marriage. Investigators believe that before Fisher fled the scene, he severed a gas line in the home, poured flammable liquid throughout the property, and lit a candle, causing the house to explode and burn to the ground.

Detectives began to put together the pieces to a chilling scenario of what happened on the night of the murders. It’s obvious that the stabbing wounds could not have been inflicted during the fire. Investigators believe that several hours prior to the explosion, Robert Fisher slashed the throats of each of his children, and then his wife. Det. Kirkham stated the following:

“As a source of ignition, we believe that a candle with a candleholder was used as a timing device in order to allow Robert time to leave the residence. Robert committed the arson in order to cover up the murders, believing that the bodies would be burned beyond recognition, covering up any sign of what had happened. But it didn’t cover it up quite as well as expected.”

Law enforcement launched a full-scale manhunt for Fisher which initially turned up few leads. Then, ten days after Fisher was caught on ATM footage, Mary’s SUV was spotted by a hiker. According to Det. Kirkham, it had been abandoned near Fisher’s favorite hunting area:

“It was clean. There was no dust on it. It was underneath pine trees and there were very few pine tree needles on top of the vehicle or in the vehicle, which indicated to us that it had probably been dumped there within 24 hours of discovery.”

Investigators soon arrived at the remote area. But the landscape contained hundreds of caves which made the search very difficult. More than 100 officers conducted a manhunt of the mountainous terrain and days of searching produced nothing . However there were two theories that emerge. One, that a despondent Robert Fisher took refuge in one of the caves, where he eventually committed suicide. The other theory suggested that a cunning Fisher left the SUV behind as a ploy to divert the attention of investigators and then vanished.

However, Det. Kirkham believes Fisher is still alive:

“The vehicle itself was about a quarter of a mile off an improved forest service road. It’s a fairly active area with a lot of traffic. And there are various places that one could use a phone, catch a ride, that sort of thing. He has probably started a new life under an assumed identity.”

Special Agent Robert Caldwell called Fisher a loner and credited that reason to why he is difficult to track.

“It’s a difficult case to work because he’s a loner,” he said. “Loners are difficult to find, but we’re going to keep pursuing all our avenues until we do find him.”

Scottsdale Assistant Police Chief Scott Popp said the lengthy disappearance has been difficult to work with, but they are still diligently following leads.

“(Fisher’s) associates and the people that knew most about him, their memories fade, they don’t have that contact anymore,” he said.

Investigators are still getting tips about possible Fisher sightings. But the hope is that an updated image will generate even more calls, said Acting Special Agent in Charge Justin Tolomeo.

Caldwell said the FBI believes he is still alive.

“We assume he’s alive somewhere, and any tip we get we will follow, whether it’s in this country, or outside,” he said.

Fisher is considered to be armed and dangerous, in possession of several weapons. One characteristic feature is that Fisher had a “noticeable” gold crown on his upper left tooth at the time of the murders, according to the press release, and walked with an “exaggerated posture.” Due to back injuries. He also has a scar on his back.

Mary’s sister, Myrna, believes that Robert is alive:

“If Robert wanted to kill himself, he would have done it when he killed Mary, Brittney and Bobby, that’s my belief. So I do believe Robert is alive.”

Robert Fisher has been indicted for the murders of his wife and children.

Robert’s sister, Jean, is left to wonder what became of her brother:

“Where would he be? How could he have gotten to where he would be? He didn’t take any money with him. And he would be in so much physical pain from his back. I don’t know if he did this. I don’t know how he could be alive, knowing how much my brother loved his family.”

If he is alive today, Fisher would be 57 years old. He’s six feet tall, and when he was last seen he weighed 190 pounds and wore his hair closely cropped. Investigators say he may bear little resemblance to the Robert Fisher of 2001, and the FBI has created multiple photo-illustrations that demonstrate how Fisher’s appearance might have changed. I have posted those photos on my website armchairdetective.org.

While the general public opinion is that Robert Fisher is dead, the FBI is working under the theory he is very much alive.

“There are several theories,” Leising says. “It is a theory that he is living off the grid. There’s theories that he’s living with someone but changed his identity, name, and background.”

Mary Fisher’s family still lives in Arizona and remain involved in the investigation, Leising says.

“We work these cases for the victims,” says Leising. “The FBI doesn’t forget. We’re gonna keep him on this ‘Top Ten’ list till we feel like we’ve exhausted all means to find him, or prove he’s dead.”

If anyone has any information about Fisher’s whereabouts, they are encouraged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov.

A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information leading to his arrest.

This concludes another episode of the armchair detective podcast. I urge you to share this podcast episode all over social media. Robert Fisher has been on the run now for 17 years and needs to be brought to justice and sharing this episode will get us one step closer to getting this monster behind bars where he belongs. Now, if you enjoy this podcast, then subscribe to this podcast and write a friendly review on Itunes. The better rating I have, the more people will listen and the further the message can get about and the closer we will get to solving these mysteries. Thanks again for listening to the armchair detective podcast. If you want to follow me, you can find me on twitter @armchairdetecti and you can also find me on facebook. You can also follow me on reddit at reddit.com/r/seekthemissing. I also created a group paged, just search for “The Armchair Detective Group Page” and send a request to join. I accept all requests to join. Also if you want to support this podcast, then head to patreon.com/thearmchairdetective and click on the Become a patreon icon. That’s all I have for today, again please share this all over social media, Denise’s family and loved ones need answers. Until next time, take care.

~Acdetective~