Joe Pichler

Joe Pichler
Born	Joseph David Wolfgang Pichler (1987-02-14)February 14, 1987 Bremerton, Washington, U.S.
Disappeared	January 5, 2006 (18 years ago, aged 18) Bremerton, Washington, U.S.
Status	Missing for 18 years, 3 months and 24 days
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1996–2002
Awards	Young Artist Award: Best Performance in a Feature Film or TV Movie - Young Ensemble 1999 Shiloh 2

Joseph David Wolfgang Pichler (February 14, 1987 – disappeared January 5, 2006) was or is an American former child actor. He is best known for his roles in Varsity Blues (1999), Beethoven's 3rd (2000) and Beethoven's 4th (2001).

Pichler's last film credit was in the independent drama Children on Their Birthdays (2002). He went missing at age 18 under mysterious circumstances on January 5, 2006, near his hometown of Bremerton, Washington. As of 2024, his whereabouts remain unknown.

Life and career

The fourth of five children, Pichler relocated to Los Angeles as a child to pursue his acting career. He had some success, most notably appearing in several movies and television shows. With the exception of a handful of memorable supporting roles, he is probably best known for his recurring role as Brennan Newton in the third and fourth (direct-to-video) installments of the Beethoven movies—family-oriented comedies about the antics of a mischievous St. Bernard.

In 2003, at the insistence of his family, he returned to his hometown of Bremerton, Washington (about 16 miles west of Seattle) and graduated from high school there in 2005. According to family, Pichler had planned to return to Los Angeles the following year (after his braces were removed from his teeth) to resume his acting career. At the time of his disappearance, Pichler lived on his own in Bremerton across town from his parents, his younger brother Matthew "A.J." Pichler and his older sister Samantha.

Disappearance

Pichler was last seen on January 5, 2006. According to the Charley Project, the friends who last saw him stated he was in good spirits while he was with them.

His car, a silver 2005 Toyota Corolla, was found on January 9, 2006, at the intersection of Wheaton Way and Sheridan Road. He was reported as officially missing by his family on January 16.

According to his family's statements to the media at the time, the last outgoing call on Pichler's cell phone was placed at 4:08 a.m., on January 5, to a friend who had said that he had been visiting with Pichler earlier in the day.

According to the Associated Press, Pichler's family stated that a note found within the car expressed a wish to be a "stronger brother" and asked that personal effects of Pichler's be given to a younger brother, but the family did not characterize this finding as a suicide note. Robbie Davis, the lead detective on the case, told the Associated Press that "There's a good indication that it might have been a suicide, but we don't know that," adding that there was no reason to suspect foul play. His body has never been found.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	In the House	Bryan	Episode: "To Die For"
1996	Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman	Little Boy	Episode: "Through a Glass, Darkly"
1996	The Fan	Sick Sean
1997	Prison of Secrets	Zach	TV movie
1997	Gun	Tad	Episode: "The Hole"
1998	Touched by an Angel	Alex Craig	Episode: "The Trigger"
1998	Music From Another Room	Young Billy
1999	Varsity Blues	Kyle Moxon
1999	Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season	David Howard
2000	Beethoven's 3rd	Brennan Newton
2001	When Good Ghouls Go Bad	Danny Walker	TV movie
2001	Beethoven's 4th	Brennan Newton
2002	The Nightmare Room	Gary	Episode: "Camp Nowhere" (Parts 1 and 2)
2002	Children on Their Birthdays	Billy Bob Murphy

External links

• www.myspace.com/HopeForJoe
• Joe Pichler at IMDb
• Joe Pichler at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children