Katharina Buczek
In 2004, April Pitzer was 30-years old-and trying to start fresh. But, after deciding to move back in with her family in Arkansas, her home state, she vanished, and foul play is suspected in her case.
Her disappearance may be linked to an incident that occurred when she was 22-years-old. At that time, April was arrested for driving while intoxicated, and two of her friends in the car also had methamphetamine with them.
Following the arrest, April was presented with a deal. Detectives said they would waive the DWI charges if she worked as a drug informant for police. She agreed and subsequently infiltrated a methamphetamine drug ring.
However, April’s identity was eventually compromised, and she fled town. She wound up moving to Fort Worth, Texas, and tying the knot with her husband, Chase. Together, they had two daughters.
Yet, while pregnant with her first baby, April was forced to return to Arkansas. She was summoned to testify as a federal witness in a case against the drug ring that she’d infiltrated.
A total of 32 people were convicted as a result of April’s testimony, and the experience took a toll on her mental health. She started suffering from paranoia and ultimately received a bipolar disorder diagnosis.
Sadly, her marriage disintegrated, and she lost custody of her children. So, by 2003, she opted to leave Texas and move to California. She ended up in Newberry Springs, a rural desert community, and lived in homeless shelters and on the streets.
April didn’t tell her mother the true details of her life, and she claimed to be working as a waitress.
Even after moving states away, though, reminders of the drug ring followed her. In June 2004, she happened to run into the wife of a man she’d previously testified against. The encounter scared April, who feared she’d been made out as a federal informant and pushed her to flee California.
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