Joe Pichler: the tragic tale of an actor who vanished without a trace
It’s strange to think about just how many people go missing – simply vanishing without a trace – every year. How does someone disappear, never to be seen again? Sounds a bit mad, especially in this CCTV-ridden world we live in, but it happens all the time. In the US alone, over 600,000 people go missing each year.
Only a certain number of these missing persons will make it onto the news because it’s a tragically common occurrence. Yet, every so often a case will garner media attention, like Joe Pichler, a young actor who starred alongside the likes of Robert De Niro and Jon Voight before joining the Beethoven franchise, only to disappear when he was 18.
Hollywood’s never been the easiest place for youngsters, but young Pichler seemed to be loving it – popping up in films like The Fan, Music From Another Room, and Varsity Blues. He kicked things off at the age of six and clearly had a passion for acting, but once he hit his teens, his parents wanted to keep him grounded and out of the Hollywood glare. So, he was packed off back home to Bremerton, Washington. At the time, it felt like the sensible move.
He wasn’t best pleased at the idea of moving away from the world of stardom, but he obliged, planning to head back to Los Angeles after graduating high school. Unfortunately, he would never get to go back, because on January 5th, 2006, he was reported missing, and his whereabouts are still unknown.
Pichler had been out with mates the night before, and it’s known he made a phone call to a friend in the early hours. But when no one heard from him the next day, alarm bells started ringing, and a police search was launched.
His 2005 Toyota Corolla was subsequently found near a body of water in his hometown, which included some poems and a letter that some interpreted to be a suicide note. Additionally, his apartment door was left unlocked and the lights still on, with his family claiming that some of his belongings, including some expensive gaming cards, had vanished.
Had Pichler packed up his valuables (although he left his phone in his car) and run away? Or had he left a suicide note and jumped into the nearby water? Pichler’s family are adamant that the note wasn’t intended to mark a suicide, because he details elements of the future within it, but others aren’t convinced.
Could foul play have been involved? There’s a chance that someone framed the incident to look like a suicide, although there’s no concrete evidence either way. That’s what Pichler’s family haven’t ruled out, but with a police investigation that was far from thorough, it seems like they’ll never have their answers.
It’s a tragic story which remains full of loose ends, and all Pichler’s family want to know is what happened to their son, who would now be almost 40 years old. Police failed to find Pichler’s scent on the nearby bridge, and his body was never found in the water, so it seems like justice might never be served.
