A child actor’s mysterious disappearance continues to baffle, two decades later.
Joseph Pichler was just 4 years old when he delved into acting. Born in Feb. 14, 1987, in Bremerton, Washington, Joe was the fourth of five children.
It was clear early on that the little boy had a big personality. Just two years into auditioning, Joe booked his first gig, for a Seattle area department store.
By 1996, Joe broke through in commercial work and got into television. That year, he would make appearances in In the House, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Guideposts Junction, as well as the film The Fan.
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Joe continued to work into 1997, also branching into voice acting with his part in The Land Before Time: Sing Along Songs. His first truly notable role came in 1998, when he landed an episode of the hit series Touched by an Angel. That same year, he’d land a role as a young version of Billy in Music from Another Room.
Joe would gain more attention with 1999’s Varsity Blues, where he played Kyle Moxon, the younger brother to Jonathan Moxon (James Van Der Beek). At 12 years old, it was clear that Joe’s star was rising.
That was further illustrated in 2000, when Joe was cast as Brennan Newton in Beethoven’s 3rd. He’d play the role in Beethoven’s 4th the following year.
The Pichlers were concerned about the repercussions of growing up in Hollywood for their son. In 2002, after Joe’s roles in The Nightmare Room and Children on Their Birthdays, the family decided to move back to Washington to give Joe “some normalcy,” mom Kathy Pichler would later tell the Kitsap Sun.
“I just wanted him to have some normalcy in his life,” his mother, Kathy Pichler, told the Kitsap Sun.
“He’s a good boy and took it well, but he wasn’t really happy about it,” she said of the decision, adding, “We always kept him really grounded.”
Joe enrolled at Bremerton High School and graduated in 2005. It was his intention to return to acting after getting his braces off, which gave him about a year after graduation to live in his hometown.
Upon turning 18 and being able to access his earnings from his early roles, Joe moved out of his family home and into an apartment. Joe continued to maintain a good relationship with his family and also began spending more time with friends.
On Jan. 4, 2006, Joe saw friends, making his final phone call in the early morning hours of Jan. 5 to a friend he’d been with earlier in the evening. He told the friend that he’d call back, but never did.
It would be four days until Joe’s 2005 Toyota Corolla was found parked at an intersection in his area.
The car contained a note, which included poetry and comments from Joe expressing that he wished he had been a better big brother and wanted his younger brother to have his things.
While investigators stated, “There’s a good indication that it might have been a suicide,” per AP, the Pichler family maintained that there was no indication Joe struggled in his mental health.
“He left that note saying that he wanted to start over,” brother Matthew told The Mirror.
The outlet also claims Joe’s sister, Shawna, shared, “In the worst-case scenario, if anything, it’s foul play. But not suicide… He left that note saying that he wanted to start over.”‘
Kathy Pichler wrote about her son’s disappearance in 2011 for the Surviving Parents Coalition, and while she did note that the case was handled “so poorly by police,” she maintains her focus on her son and finding purpose in what her family has experienced.
“Joseph 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,” she wrote at the time.
“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. The 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.”
Joe would be celebrating his 39th birthday this Feb. He remains classified as a missing person.