Robert William Fisher was born on April 13, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York City, the eldest of three children. His father, William Fisher, worked as a banker, while his mother, Jan Howell, raised Robert and his two sisters. In 1976, when Fisher was 15, his parents underwent a bitter divorce. Fisher reportedly never recovered emotionally, and those who knew him later described him as deeply impacted by the separation. Friends said he was "very bitter" and expressed strong views on the breakdown of family and the importance of maintaining unity at all costs.

Following the divorce, Fisher and his siblings moved with their father to Tucson, Arizona, where he attended Sahuaro High School. He enlisted in the United States Navy, where he trained in hopes of becoming a Navy SEAL, but did not succeed. After a back injury forced him out of firefighting in California, he transitioned into medical support roles, eventually working as a surgical technician at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Fisher married Mary Cooper in 1987, and they had two children: Brittney and Bobby. To outsiders, he projected the image of a traditional, devout family man. He attended the local Baptist church and participated in men’s ministries. However, privately, Fisher was known to be controlling, emotionally distant, and volatile. Neighbors and friends described the household as tense, and domestic arguments between him and Mary were frequent. Fisher tightly controlled what could be displayed in their home—only allowing white paint and few decorations—and discouraged emotional or physical expressions of independence within the family. He also exhibited extreme behavior, such as teaching his children to swim by throwing them off a boat, and reportedly once turned a garden hose on Mary during an argument.

His disconnection from his family intensified over time. In 1998, the couple sought marriage counseling, and Mary reportedly spoke of divorcing Fisher in the weeks before her death. Fisher himself had been unfaithful, once contracting a urinary tract infection after visiting a massage parlor. He feared the consequences of divorce and the possible break-up of his family—a fate he had personally experienced as a teenager and openly despised.

Despite this tension, Fisher maintained the façade of a committed husband and father. However, his internal conflicts—spiritual, emotional, and psychological—grew to a dangerous crescendo by 2001. Those closest to him began to sense a darkness beneath his composed surface, but few could have predicted the horrifying extent of what he would do next.

On April 10, 2001, Robert William Fisher's family home in Scottsdale, Arizona, exploded. This explosion happened at 8:42 AM and was so powerful that it collapsed the front brick wall of the house and shook nearby homes. Firefighters arrived quickly, but before they could control the flames, neighbors tried to put out the fire using garden hoses. They noticed that smaller explosions were occurring, likely due to ammunition or paint cans inside the house.

Inside the ruins, firefighters found the bodies of Fisher's wife, Mary, and their two children, Brittney, age 12, and Bobby, age 10. Mary had been shot in the back of the head, while Brittney and Bobby's throats had been slashed. Investigators believe that the murders took place the night before, between 9:30 PM and 10:15 PM. The night before the explosion, a neighbor heard a loud argument coming from the house around 10 PM.

Police investigated the scene and found that the gas line had been pulled from the furnace. It was believed that Fisher lit a candle to allow gas to accumulate in the house, which later ignited, causing the explosion. This method likely gave him a significant head start before law enforcement began the search for him.

Fisher was named as the prime suspect in the case on April 14, 2001, just days after the explosion. He had disappeared, and police believed he fled in his wife’s car, a Toyota 4Runner that was found abandoned a few days later in the Tonto National Forest, about one hundred miles away. The family dog was found nearby, suggesting Fisher may have stayed in the area for some time.

The investigation unfolded as police followed various leads, but many of these turned out to be false or inconclusive. Fisher was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list on June 29, 2002. In the years following, sightings of him were reported in various locations, but none could be confirmed. Despite extensive searches and numerous tips, no trace of Fisher has ever been found.

Over time, various theories emerged about his fate. Some suggested he may have died in the wilderness where his car was found, while others believed he could have started a new life under a different identity. As the investigation continued for years, there was no conclusive evidence to resolve the case. Fisher remains a fugitive, and the details of the events of that April night cause ongoing speculation.