By Angeljean Chiaramida
SEABROOK — After Multiple Sclerosis cut short Curt Pishon's dream career on the Concord Police Department 10 years after it started, the former Army military police officer eventually came to terms with his illness, taking a job as a security guard, assigned to Seabrook's former Venture Corporation.
But, early on July 5, 2000, 41-year old Pishon disappeared during his shift at Venture shortly after his car was burned to cinders. Since then, his family has prayed and the Seabrook Police Department has searched and investigated his disappearance, which his family believes resulted from his murder.
A $5,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Curt Pishon's remains is unclaimed, while his family still agonizes over their loss, the mystery surrounding his probable murder, and the injustice that allows those responsible to go undetected and unpunished.
Now, eight years later and a year after Curt Pishon was declared dead, the Pishon family is launching their campaign to "Bring Curt Home." The new push is an attempt to tap the knowledge of those they feel know what happened to their son but have so far refused to come forward.
"We again mark this sad time with hopes and prayers that someone will help us discover what happened to Curt and help us bring him home," said Curt Pishon's mother, Astrid Pishon.
The efforts of his parents, Astrid and Nicholas Pishon, Sr. are applauded by the Seabrook Police Department, which continues to actively investigate the case. Frustrating the investigation has been the "Code of Silence" that is ever present among some townspeople, either from fear of reprisal or misplaced loyalties, said Seabrook Detective Sergeant Michael Gallagher, .
"Trust me," Gallagher said in the past, "the Mafia's code of silence has nothing on the one you'll find in Seabrook."
According to family friend and spokeswoman Theresa Barbo, the Pishon family's ties to New Hampshire go back three generations. They've always believed their son was murdered and that residents within the greater Seabrook community know what happened, and that his remains are in a rural area within an hour's drive of Seabrook.
"It's time the Seabrook community resolves this," Barbo said yesterday. "If foul play is involved with Curt's disappearance and the people responsible are local, that means there is a killer or killers in the community. People need to wonder: Is Seabrook safe? It's time people come forward. It's time to bring Curt home."
Gallagher is also making a plea, urging those with even the smallest bit of knowledge to speak up.
"The people responsible for this crime are walking among you," Gallagher said. "To have information and withhold it for whatever reason amounts to moral cowardice."
A Web site, www.findcurt.com, and toll free phone number — 1-866-97-FINDCURT — were created by the Pishon family for public information and anonymous tips.
"We have placed signs in the Seacoast area and have bought advertisements in the local papers to help spread the word," said Nicholas Pishon, Jr., Curt's brother, who organized the campaign.
Over the years, the Pishon family and Seabrook Police Department have grown close as both worked to discover what happened to Curt Pishon and bring his body home. This latest push to find any and all possible information needed is a tandem effort of the family and local law enforcement, Barbo said.
"The Pishon family has every faith and hope that the Seabrook Police Department will resolve this case and bring the remains of their son home," Barbo said. "The family has always believed Curt was murdered. They believe that in the course of his job as a security job, he stumbled onto someone who was doing something they shouldn't have been doing."
ABOUT THE CASE
The following is a summary of Curtis Pishon's case taken from the North American Missing Persons Web site:
"On July 4th 2000 Curtis a retired police officer arrived at his job as a security guard at Venture Corporation around 9:30 p.m. and parked his car in the parking lot — about eight feet from the guard shack. He chatted briefly with the guard he was relieving — who later told police that Curtis did not appear depressed or upset. Around midnight, Curtis' supervisor checked on him and reported no problems. Then at 2 a.m. Curtis called the Fire Department to report that his car was on fire. The car was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived just a few minutes later. Firefighters told police that Curtis was remarkably calm despite what was happening to his car. The last entry in his guard log was at 2 a.m., when he reported the fire. A few plant workers taking a break saw him at approximately 3:15 a.m. The first person to notice that he was missing was a worker who arrived at the plant at 3:45 a.m. About the same time, a night-shift foreman reported seeing two vehicles racing out of the driveway, but he was unable to give a description of the cars to police. When Curtis' relief arrived the next morning Curtis was nowhere to be found.
If Curtis deliberately disappeared, his family and police are left with the mystery of where he went. There has been no activity on his bank accounts or credit cards. His family does not believe Curtis killed himself. His sister believes that her brother would have wanted his body found and would have left a note if he committed suicide. Moreover, Hampton Police found his pistol in his hotel room still wrapped in the bag that it was in when he bought it from his father."
Those with information about the disappearance of Curt Pishon, should contact FINDCURT.COM, or call toll free 1-866-97-FINDCURT. Both are created by the Pishon family for public information and anonymous tips.
