Joe Pichler

Joseph David Wolfgang "Joe" Pichler (February 14, 1987 – disappeared January 5, 2006) is an American former child actor who has been missing since January 5, 2006.

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 (which is across Puget Sound and 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 in the following year (after the braces were removed from his teeth) to continue with 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. Pichler had been playing cards with some friends, who reported he was in good spirits during the evening.

His car, a silver 2005 Toyota Corolla, was found 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.

• Children on Their Birthdays (2002) .... Billy Bob Murphy
• Beethoven's 4th (2001) (V) .... Brennan Newton
• When Good Ghouls Go Bad (2001) (TV) .... Danny Walker
• Beethoven's 3rd (2000) (V) .... Brennan Newton
• Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season (1999) .... David Howard
• Varsity Blues (1999) .... Kyle Moxon
• Music From Another Room (1998) .... Young Billy
• Prison of Secrets (1997) (TV) .... Zach
• The Fan (1996) .... Sick Sean