What happened to Beethoven's Joe Pichler? Former child star mysteriously vanished just weeks before his 19th birthday - leaving behind cryptic note after 4 a.m. call

Former child star Joe Pichler mysteriously vanished at age 18 in 2006 — four years after he dropped out of the spotlight following notable roles in the Beethoven sequels and Varsity Blues.

On January 5, 2006, Pichler — then just weeks away from his 19th birthday on February 14 — made a final 4 a.m. phone call to a friend before leaving his car abandoned in Bremerton, Washington, with a cryptic note and poetry inside.

He has never been seen or heard from again.

At the time of his disappearance, Pichler was living a life worlds away from his previous glittering Hollywood acting career after moving back to his hometown four years earlier in 2002.

Born in Bremerton as the fourth of five children in the Pichler family in 1987, Joe began acting at six in videos and commercials in nearby Seattle.

Former child star Joe Pichler mysteriously vanished at age 18 in 2006 — four years after dropping out of the spotlight following attention-grabbing roles in the Beethoven  sequels (pictured) and Varsity Blues

On January 5, 2006, Pichler — then just weeks away from his 19th birthday on February 14 — made a final 4 a.m. phone call to a friend before leaving his car abandoned in Bremerton, Washington, with a cryptic note and poetry inside. He has never been seen or heard from again

He relocated to Los Angeles as a child to pursue his burgeoning acting career, landing a role in the Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes–starring thriller The Fan in 1996.

His acting prowess grew when, at age 12, he memorably played James Van Der Beek's onscreen brother Kyle Moxon in 1999's coming-of-age film, Varsity Blues.

Joe then portrayed Brennan Newton in two films in the acclaimed Beethoven franchise — in which a family is driven to the edge by the antics of their Saint Bernard dog —  Beethoven's 3rd (2000) and Beethoven's 4th (2001). 

His final onscreen appearance was in 2002's Children On Their Birthdays. 

Conflicting reports state that he was the driving force behind his family's move back to Bremerton or that he was 'unhappy' to leave California. Either way, his acting roles ceased as soon as he left Hollywood behind.

Amid a frantic search for the teenager days after his disappearance, his mother Kathy Pichler told the Kitsap Sun that it was her decision to move her son out of LA.

She said: 'I just wanted him to have some normalcy in his life. He's a good boy and took it well, but he wasn't really happy about it. 

'We always kept him really grounded. He's always been a regular kid with a job a teenager wouldn't normally have.'

At the time of his disappearance, Pichler was living a life worlds away from his previous glittering Hollywood acting career after moving back to his hometown; he is pictured in 2001's Beethoven's 4th with Judge Reinhold, Michaela Gallo and Julia Sweeney

After moving back home, he graduated from Bremerton High School in 2005, and two months prior to his disappearance, had taken a full-time job as a telephone technician at Tele-Tech; he is pictured at Christmas 2005 — days before his disappearance

His acting prowess grew when he memorably played James Van Der Beek's onscreen brother Kyle Moxon in 1999's coming-of-age film, Varsity Blues

He graduated from Bremerton High School in 2005, and two months prior to his disappearance, had taken a full-time job as a telephone technician at Tele-Tech, per the missing persons database, The Charley Project.

After gaining access to a 'significant' amount of money from his trust fund when he turned 18, he moved in to his own apartment away from his family in Bremerton, though he still visited them regularly. 

Pichler began experimenting with drugs and alcohol recreationally, but he hoped to restart his acting career with a move back to California once his braces were removed, which was due to happen in one or two months. 

He enjoyed Mexican food and Jack In the Box and doted on his pet guinea pig. 

Almost two decades on, the details of Pichler's final documented hours remain shrouded in mystery.

He had spent the evening of January 4, 2006, playing cards with some close friends — all of whom would say he appeared in good spirits.

His last known contact was at 4:15 a.m. on January 5, 2006, in Bremerton when he talked to a friend on his cellphone. It has been claimed by unverified sources that Joe was 'sobbing' on the call and drinking alcohol.

He said he would call his friend back in an hour — but he never did. The same phone would be found in his abandoned car days later.

His silver 2005 Toyota Corolla was found on January 9, 2006, near the intersection of Wheaton Way and Sheridan Road in Bremerton, near a narrow arm of water called the Port Madison Narrows. All of his personal belongings were still inside the vehicle - with the exception of his wallet and car keys

His silver 2005 Toyota Corolla was found on January 9, 2006, near the intersection of Wheaton Way and Sheridan Road in Bremerton, near a narrow arm of water called the Port Madison Narrows.

All of his personal belongings were still inside the vehicle — with the exception of his wallet and car keys. 

According to the Associated Press, Pichler's family revealed Joe had left a note inside the car expressing a wish to be a 'stronger brother' and asking for his personal effects to be given to his younger brother. However his family do not see the letter as a suicide note.

Robbie Davis, the lead detective on the case said at the time 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. 

He also left behind a few poems, the exact contents of which have never been released.

At the time, police believed Pichler had committed suicide by jumping off a bridge and into the Port Madison Narrows. However, his scent was not traced to the bridge by search dogs and no trace of him was found there.

His family do not believe he was suffering from depression or suicidal ideations and think he may have met with foul play. 

Joe played Brennan Newton in two films in the acclaimed Beethoven franchise - in which a family is driven to the edge by the antics of their Saint Bernard dog - Beethoven's 3rd (2000) and Beethoven's 4th (2001; pictured)

His sister Shawna told The Kitsap Sun two weeks after his disappearance: 'He’s probably too embarrassed to come home. In the worst-case scenario, if anything, it’s foul play. But not suicide.'

Pichler’s brother Matthew added: 'He left that note saying that he wanted to start over.' 

More than 150 people joined the search after Pichler's disappearance. 

Pichler's family revealed Joe left a note in his car expressing a wish to be a 'stronger brother' and asking for his belongings to be given to his younger brother, per the AP. However, they don't see the letter as a suicide note

Per WebSleuths, the alarm was first raised by Joe's mother Kathy, who had sent her son AJ to check on his brother.

After Finding the doors to Joe's apartment unlocked and the lights on — which the family said was abnormal behavior for Joe — AJ waited for an hour before leaving.

Kathy then checked the apartment herself on the evening of January 5 before reporting her son missing that day.

At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a white metal Nixon The Rotolog Real Wood Watch on his left wrist, and possibly a brown T-shirt and jeans.  

He has a circular tattoo of a red Star Wars emblem on the inside of his right forearm and a small scar across the bridge of his nose. 

Kathy has leveled heavy criticism at the police investigation, claiming police searched his car and apartment for 'three minutes' and quickly made up their minds that he had committed suicide. 

Claims emerged from his family that traces of vomit were found in the passenger seat of the car, and that they were not tested for DNA.

Pichler had hoped to restart his acting career with a move back to California once his braces were removed - which was due to happen in one or two months - pictured in 2000's Beethoven's 3rd

They also allege that Pichler's apartment was robbed, as his most valuable Magic: The Gathering cards were missing.

In a 2011 statement on the website for the Surviving Parents Coalition — which supports families whose children have gone missing or been murdered — Kathy wrote: 'His case was handled SO poorly by police and most of the evidence was lost. Their mistakes were because local police didn't know the correct procedures for missing children/persons. 

Pichler is seen in a 2023 age-progression photo aged 36

'Since the disappearance of my son, my local law enforcement has learned to handle these cases much better. For that I am very thankful. It helps find some purpose for my family's tragedy. Joseph is not a runaway; that's the only thing I know for sure about his disappearance. 

'...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. 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.'

The 25th anniversary of Varsity Blues has brought the disappearance back into the spotlight with fans taking to social media to remember the star's onscreen roles and to try and track him down. 

To this day, his family still seeks information about his disappearance and holds onto faint hope he may still be alive. Joe would now be 37 years old.

In 2008, two years after his disappearance, Pichler’s family revealed their heartbreak over not knowing what happened to him that night.

Shawna said: 'I know somebody knows something. But the last two years had been difficult.

'People say it gets easier with time. 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.'

If you have information on the disappearance of Joe Pichler, contact the Bremerton Police Department at 360-473-5228.