Former child star Joe Pichler mysteriously vanished at age 18 in 2006, years after he had been a star in the Beethoven films. Today, almost 20 years later, he’s still missing, and no one knows what happened to him. Here’s the story of what happened and the eerie note found in his abandoned car.
On January 5, 2006, Pichler — then just weeks away from his 19th birthday on February 14 — made a final 4 am phone call to a friend before leaving his car abandoned in Bremerton, Washington, with a cryptic note and poetry inside.
On January 5, 2006, weeks before his 19th birthday, child star Joe Pichler suddenly disappeared. At 4 am, he made his last call to a friend and then vanished. Four days later, his car, a Toyota Corolla, was found above Port Madison Narrows near the intersection of Wheaton Way and Sheridan Road in Bremerton, Washington.
His car keys, wallet, and watch were missing. But in the car, the police found an eerie note.
So, what was the then-18-year-old famous for? Well, in fact, Joe Pichler had a very successful career as a child actor.
The disappearance of child actor star Joe Pichler
A Bremerton, Washington native, Pichler began his career in front of the camera at age 6 as he starred in a Seattle department store commercial. He moved to Los Angeles with his family, and in 1996, he appeared in The Fan and later in Varsity Blues.
He also starred in the 1996 sitcom In The House, co-starring The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air‘s Alfonso Ribeiro, and later that year in Lois & Clark.
His most famous roles came in the humorous adventure of a St Bernhard, titled Beethoven. Pichler starred in the third and fourth films. His last role was in the 2022 film Children on Their Birthdays.
He said at the time: “I’ve said no to sex and drugs. I don’t want to get typecast. I’d much rather do movies [than TV] – I like the whole atmosphere of changing characters and meeting new people.”
Not much is known about what happened with Joe Pichler after that. The Daily Mail reported that ‘conflicting reports’ at the time stated that he was either a driving force behind his family moving back to Bremerton or ‘unhappy’ to leave California at all. Still, he called quits on his acting career and left Hollywood behind.
The tragic day in January 2006 still haunts his family, as Joe Pichler has not been seen since. However, at the time, his mother, Kathy Pichler, claimed police didn’t do a thorough search.
“They haven’t fingerprinted his car. They sifted through it, they were in his apartment for about three minutes. They’ve done nothing,” Kathy Pichler said, per Today.
Eerie note found in Joe Pichler’s car
Detective Robbie Davis, the lead investigator, said, “There’s a good indication that it might have been a suicide, but we don’t know that. There is no reason to suspect foul play.”
Why police suspected a possible suicide was because of the eerie note Pichler had left behind. Per the Seattle Times, the note read that Joe was sorry he hadn’t been a better role model for his younger. He requested that his belongings be sent to his brother, then 17.
Even so, their family, who reported him missing about 12 days after his disappearance, don’t think Joe took his own life.
His sister Shawna Pichler told the Kitsap Sun at the time: “He’s probably too embarrassed to come home.In the worst-case scenario, if anything, it’s foul play. But not suicide.”
His brother Matthew added, “He left that note saying that he wanted to start over.”
Pichler’s mother, Kathy, revealed that her son and a friend had been drinking alcohol earlier that day and had written poetry together. Joe’s family said he was in good spirits, but his friend revealed he was “inconsolable” during their call that morning.
Joe Pichler had said he would call again an hour later, but nothing was recorded when police checked the records. Pichler has not been seen since.
Pichler’s mother said she “struggle to get through each day”
Five and a half years after Joe’s disappearance, his mother, Kathy Pichler, wrote on a website named the Surviving Parents Coalition about her feelings.
“My son, Joseph Pichler, went missing five and a half years ago. His case was handled SO poorly by police and most of the evidence was lost. Their mistakes were because local police didn’t know the correct procedures for missing children/persons,” she wrote.
“Since the disappearance of my son, my local law enforcement has learned to handle these cases much better. For that, I am very thankful. It helps find some purpose for my family’s tragedy. Joesph is not a runaway; that’s the only thing I know for sure about his disappearance. After nearly six years, we still have no resolution. Since Joseph’s disappearance, my focus has been to help raise awareness of our nation’s epidemic. I also struggle to get through each day without answers as to the whereabouts of my missing son. Our system is so very broken, in so many ways. Through education and prevention, there is hope. I keep looking for purpose in my son’s disappearance.”
Kathy Pichler concluded, “he only way I’ve found anything positive about my loss is when I help others live this nightmare. I do understand the suffering of other parents. Now I try to work for a better future so that others aren’t forced to wear these shoes.
If you have information on the disappearance of Joe Pichler, contact the Bremerton Police Department at 360-473-5228.
Please share this article to spread the word on Joe Pichler’s disappearance. We pray for him and all other children who have gone missing to be found again.
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