JOE Pichler's acting career seemed to be going from strength to strength before he suddenly vanished nearly two decades ago.
The child star mysteriously disappeared without a trace five years after his last starring role in the iconic Beethoven franchise.
His legacy on the big screen is now replaced with speculation over whether he committed suicide or ran away to start a new life.
Joe entered the industry at just four years old and managed to earn castings in a string of TV commercials just two years later.
His family from Bremerton, Washington, relocated to Los Angeles to concentrate on pursuing his career, where he soon scored more high-profile roles.
At the age of nine, he rubbed shoulders with movie greats Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes for the 1996 thriller The Fan.
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The baby-faced performer went on to appear in the US drama series Touched by an Angel as well as the sports comedy Varsity Blues.
But Joe's career really took off in 2000, when he bagged his recurring role as Brennan Newton in Beethoven's 3rd and Beethoven's 4th.
The youngster starred alongside the loveable St.Bernard in the final flicks for the movie franchise, seemingly cementing his path to stardom.
He said at the time: "I've said no to sex and drugs. I don't want to get typecast. I'd much rather do movies [than TV] – I like the whole atmosphere of changing characters and meeting new people."
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However, his follow-up roles in horror series The Nightmare Room and drama Children on Their Birthdays in 2002 would be the last time he graced the big screen.
Joe took a break from Hollywood under the instruction of his parents, who were concerned years of showbiz had worn him out.
His mother Kathy 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."
The actor returned to Bremerton and completed his high school studies, moved into his own place and secured a full-time job as a telephone technician at Teletech.
But he was still wrestling with the allure of fame and told his family he would return to acting after he got his braces removed.
Sadly, he never got the chance – as on January 5, 2006, the then-18-year-old vanished after hanging out with a group of friends, who said he was in good spirits.
Joe later called a pal, who he had been playing cards with earlier that evening, at around 4am and was intoxicated and "inconsolable".
He ended the call saying he would ring back in an hour, but never did – making it the last form of contact anyone ever had with him.
Four days later, his Toyota Corolla was found abandoned half a mile from a large body of water known as Port Washington Narrows.
Police found an ominous note inside, made up of moving poetry and some vague statements about wanting to be a "stronger brother" for his two siblings.
Joe is also said to have written that he wanted his younger brother Matthew to have some of his belongings.
The findings led investigators to believe that the child actor had taken his own life after his family reported him missing on January 16.
But his loved ones disagreed, insisting that the two pages of scrawls and apologies were not a suicide note.
Joe's sister Shawna told the Kitsap Sun: "He's probably too embarrassed to come home.
"In the worst-case scenario, if anything, it's foul play. But not suicide.
His worried brother said: "He left that note saying that he wanted to start over."
"There was no goodbye," mum Kathy added.
The family noted that Joe had left the door to his apartment unlocked and the lights on – behaviour they described as unusual.
Only his wallet and car keys were missing from the premises, according to the Charley Project.
But they claim police pushed with the conclusion that the Beethoven actor had possibly jumped off the bridge and into the Narrows.
Kathy even alleged that a detective told her: "I don't know how to say this to you without sounding really bad, but basically I think your son's dead, and it could take months for him to show up in the water."
Cops denied her claim and insisted they were "considering a wide variety of scenarios".
The lead detective on the baffling case, Robbie Davis, told the Associated Press: "There's a good indication that it might have been a suicide, but we don't know that."
Mass searches, bolstered by public support, took place across Bremerton in the hopes of finding Joe.
But 17 years on from his disappearance, what happened to the promising performer remains an eerie mystery.
The 6ft 2ins tall and 160lb bloke would have long outgrown his teen years and would now be 27-years-old.
He has brown hair, hazel eyes, small scars on his nose and forehead as well as a distinctive Star Wars tattoo on his right arm.
Anyone with any information should get in touch with the Bremerton Police Department.
Joe's family have still not given up hope, despite being tormented by the mystery of what happened to him.
Shawna previously said: "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."
His mum Kathy joined America's Surviving Parents Coalition to help her mourn the loss of her firstborn son.
She said: "Joseph is not a runaway; that's the only thing I know for sure about his disappearance.
"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.
"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 living this nightmare."
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