Joe Pichler starred in the Beethoven movies. When he was 18, he vanished without a trace.

Content warning: This post includes discussion of suicide that may be distressing to some readers.

From the age of four, American child actor Joe Pichler had found his way into the entertainment industry.

Starting with TV advertisements, Pichler had always had a love for the job. Over the years, his resumé grew as he found himself in bigger roles - Touched by an Angel, Varsity Blues, Children on their Birthdays and the Beethoven movies.

By the early 2000s, Pichler was embarking on a high trajectory acting career. 

But in January 2006, everything changed. Eighteen-year-old Pichler vanished. And ever since, his loved ones and the authorities have been trying to piece together the puzzle to uncover what really happened to him.

Just before his disappearance, Pichler had gone to a party with friends on January 5. By 4am that night, things had taken a turn with an "inconsolable" Pichler calling a friend. Pichler had been drinking at the party. 

The friend on the other line told Pichler to call him back once he had composed himself, with Pichler promising to do so. But the call never came, and no one has heard from him since.

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In his early teen years, Pichler had predominantly been living in Los Angeles to help his acting prospects but had returned to Bremerton to finish high school. His family said Pichler had plans to return to LA soon.

In an interview about what roles he gravitated towards, Pichler told the Kitsap Sun in 2001 that he had always gone for the wholesome storylines. 

"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."

In the lead-up to his disappearance, friends and family said Pichler had appeared upbeat and mentally well - aside from the phone call on the night of his disappearance. His friends at the party who saw Pichler also said he was in good spirits. Nothing else is publicly known about the "inconsolable" phone call.

By January 9, a few days later, Pichler's car - a silver Toyota Corolla - was found parked next to an inlet called Port Washington Narrows, which is close to his hometown of Bremerton in Washington.

When police found Pichler's silver Toyota Corolla, they reportedly found a note inside the vehicle - a note that consisted of two pages of poetry, random thoughts and an apology of sorts from Pichler for not being a "strong brother" for his siblings. Pichler also wrote on the note that he wanted his younger brother to have some of his belongings. 

After reading the note, police believed Pichler had taken his own life. His family however don't think the note is reason enough to believe Pichler died by suicide.

At the time, Pichler's family went to the press calling for further investigation and answers.

In an interview with Seattle-Post Intelligence, his mum Kathy said: "They haven't fingerprinted his car. They sifted through it. They were in his apartment for about three minutes. They've done nothing."

Pichler's family also said he had left the door to his apartment unlocked and the lights on - which they said was unusual behaviour on his part.

As for the cryptic note, Kathy said: "There was no goodbye."

Pichler's brother Matthew said of the note: "He left that note saying that he wanted to start over."

Joe Pichler in Beethoven, and his missing notice. Image: Universal Pictures/National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. 

In a statement to the Kitsap Sun at the time, police said they did not suspect foul play was involved but said: "We're considering a wide variety of scenarios. We're not making any assumptions."

In 2008, two years after Pichler's disappearance, his family did another media callout and shared their heartbreak.

"People say it gets easier with time," his sister Shawna said. "I guess that's true when you know where the person is… The worst feeling out of all of this is the alone feeling. After time goes by, the press stops, people move on… But for us, it doesn't stop, it just keeps going. I know somebody knows something."

Police continued to monitor Pichler's bank accounts, driver's license and social security records and even his MySpace page - but nothing arose.

As for the major theories surrounding his disappearance, possibilities explored included foul play, suicide, or runaway.

For the foul play theory, police have since said they didn't believe this was likely.

"I have not found one person that has said anything bad about Joe," Bremerton Detective Robbie Davis said to the Seattle Times.

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It appeared that police believed suicide was the leading possibility. The Pichler family alleges that police told them Pichler had likely parked his car, walked over to the nearby bridge and jumped off of it. They said that his body would likely show up in the water within a few months, although it never did. 

Tracker dogs did not pick up Pichler's scent towards the bridge. 

To this day, Pichler remains classified as an "endangered missing person". It's been a difficult time for his family in the years since. 

A decade later, mum Kathy joined America's Surviving Parents Coalition, giving bereaved loved ones a space to grieve the disappearance or murder of their children.

Kathy wrote that she still feels as though the case was "handled so poorly by police and most of the evidence was lost".

"Joesph is not a runaway; that's the only thing I know for sure about his disappearance. We still have no resolution. Since Joseph's disappearance, my focus has been to help raise awareness of our nation's epidemic," she said. 

"I also struggle to get through each day without answers as to the whereabouts of my missing son. I keep looking for purpose in my son's disappearance. The only way I've found anything positive about my loss is when I help others living this nightmare."

If you find yourself needing to talk to someone after reading this story, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Feature Image: Universal Pictures.

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