Joe Pichler
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Joseph David Wolfgang Pichler. Born February 14th, 1987. Disappeared January 5th, 2006. An American former child actor, he's etched in our memories for his roles in "Varsity Blues," "Beethoven's 3rd," and "Beethoven's 4th."
His final film credit was in the independent drama "Children on Their Birthdays" in 2002. Then, at just 18 years old, he vanished. His disappearance on January 5th, 2006, near his hometown of Bremerton, Washington, remains a mystery. To this day, his whereabouts are unknown.
The fourth of five children, Joe relocated to Los Angeles as a child, chasing his acting dreams. He found success, appearing in various movies and TV shows. Beyond a few memorable supporting roles, he's perhaps best remembered as Brennan Newton, the young boy in the third and fourth direct-to-video installments of the "Beethoven" movies – those heartwarming comedies about a mischievous St. Bernard.
In 2003, at his family's urging, Joe returned to Bremerton, Washington, graduating high school there in 2005. His family shared that Joe had planned to return to Los Angeles the following year, once his braces were off, to reignite his acting career. At the time of his disappearance, he was living independently in Bremerton, away from his parents, his younger brother Matthew "A.J." Pichler, and his older sister Samantha.
Joe Pichler was last seen on January 5th, 2006. Those who were with him that day reported he was in good spirits.
His car, a silver 2005 Toyota Corolla, was discovered on January 9th, 2006, at the intersection of Wheaton Way and Sheridan Road in Bremerton. His family officially reported him missing on January 16th.
According to his family's statements to the media, the last outgoing call from Joe's cell phone was at 4:08 AM on January 5th, to a friend who had visited him earlier that day.
The Associated Press reported that Joe's family found a note in the car expressing a desire to be a "stronger brother" and requesting that personal effects be given to a younger sibling. However, his family did not classify this as a suicide note. Detective Robbie Davis, leading the investigation, told the Associated Press that while there was a "good indication that it might have been a suicide," they couldn't be certain, and there was no evidence of foul play. His body has never been found.
Joseph David Wolfgang Pichler (February 14, 1987 – disappeared January 5, 2006) 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. 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 (26 km) 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 in Bremerton. 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 ==
== References ==
== External links ==
Joe Pichler at IMDb
Joe Pichler at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
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