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Could Robert William Fisher Really Still Be Alive?
The case of the fugitive accused of the annihilation of his family baffles police to this day.
In April 2021, it will be two decades since the start of one of the biggest manhunts in FBI history. It will also mark the 20-year anniversary of three cruel murders that have never officially been solved. So, what happened to Robert William Fisher? Could he really still be alive? And will he ever be brought to justice for his alleged crimes?
Inferno masks the horror within
On April 10th 2001, emergency services were called to a home in Scottsdale that was on fire. Multiple 911 calls reported the blazing inferno at the house belonging to the well-liked and well-respected Fisher family, with firefighters fearing the worst for the four people that lived there and were presumably still inside.
However, when the fire was finally brought under control and first responders were able to enter, they made a shocking discovery. Mary Fisher, 38, and her two children Britney, 12, and Bobby, 10, were discovered dead in their beds — not from smoke inhalation, but from having their throats cut. Mary also had a gunshot wound to the head.
Robert William Fisher, then 40, was nowhere to be found. And it was only when the Scottsdale Police Department started to delve more deeply into the family’s situation that they realised they may be missing not another victim, but the perpetrator.
Acquaintances told investigators Robert Fisher was aggressive and controlling of his wife and two children, and that the couple frequently argued. They had been attending counselling sessions at their local church, but friends revealed Mary had been thinking of divorcing her husband nonetheless. There were rumours that he was having an affair and that he had slept with at least one other woman.
“Robert was a very private person. Outwardly, he was perceived as a good father and good husband, a church-going man. During the investigation, we found that Robert Fisher had a number of faces, a number of masks that he wore,” said Detective John Kirkham of the Scottsdale Police Department.
