News

Search goes on for Pishon

Anonymous tips impede investigation

By Angeljean Chiaramida
Staff writer
Published: July 10, 2009

SEABROOK — A year after they revived the hunt for answers in the disappearance of Curtis Pishon, the missing man's family remains hopeful for a resolution to the 9-year-old case. But as anonymous tips pour in presenting plausible versions of how Pishon was killed and by whom, the reluctance of those witnesses to come forward in an open fashion is keeping the case from being resolved.

Pishon, 41 at the time and a retired Concord, N.H., police officer, disappeared during his night shift at Venture Corporation sometime after 3 a.m. on July 5, 2000. Rumors about what happened that night have swirled in town for years, and Seabrook police have pieced together the "foul play" scenario they believe led to Pishon's death.

However, Seabrook's well-known "code of silence," along with fear of retribution by Pishon's alleged killers, have prevented witnesses from testifying, police say. Without such evidence, police have been unable to obtain search warrants or bring formal charges against individuals they believe are responsible for Pishon's death, said Seabrook Lt. Michael Gallagher.

Pishon's siblings launched a campaign last July in hopes of finding the truth about what happened to and finding justice for their brother, as well as finding his body so the family could give him a Christian burial and have closure. The Find Curt campaign offers an anonymous telephone tip line and Web site, as well as a $6,000 reward to anyone who could provide evidence leading to the discovery of Pishon's body and his killers.

In December, the family came forward with the numerous similar and specific tips the campaign received, tips which point to Pishon's death at the hands of named suspects. Pishon's brother Nick said that based on that information, the family believes Curt was murdered on July 5, his body dismembered and buried in Seabrook by those who killed him.

"As time went on, a clear picture of what happened to Curt formed," said Pishon's sister Crystal Pishon in a recently released family statement. "Many consistent tips reported that he was indeed murdered in the early morning of July 5, 2000. Thanks to the brave individuals who contacted us, we now know not only that he was murdered but how, where, why and by whom. Much of the information confirmed what the police said they already knew."

Gallagher said information the Pishon family brought to police as a result of their Find Curt campaign is consistent with the theory police developed from their own investigation and interviews with past Venture employees. The individuals who called the Pishon family's hot line were helpful, Gallagher said, but the individuals still refused to identify themselves, and that kind of anonymous information wouldn't get the search and arrest warrants police need.

One graphic tip given to the family's hot line on Sept. 1 was told by a caller who reported on a story passed down through two others who had spoken with the alleged perpetrator of Pishon's death.

"(Name withheld) was caught stealing at Venture on the night of Curt's disappearance," the caller explained on the tip line recording tape. "Curt caught him stealing, and (name withheld) hit him ... hit him or beat him, but eventually he was dead. (Name withheld) took care of the body by dismembering it and hiding it and burying it in the back of his yard. From what I was told, the body was decapitated and dismembered and spread all about. I hope this information helps you."

The family feels that despite having to work within the legal requirements, over the years Seabrook police have kept the case high priority and active, developing a short list of suspects from the Seabrook area.

The New Hampshire Attorney General's office, however, has continued to list this as a missing person's case, and not a homicide, according to the family's recent statement.

Gallagher has said three suspicious incidents took place at Venture on the morning Curt Pishon disappeared, which he believes were related to the disappearance. They relate closely to the statement offered on Sept. 1 by the anonymous caller.

First, Pishon's car was set on fire. Then, there was an attempt to break in and steal the money in vending machines at the plant, and finally, the padlocked door of a union office was kicked in. Gallagher believes the fire was a diversion to draw attention away from a criminal act — the robbery of the vending machines — and Pishon was killed when he came across the crime during his rounds.

Initially hidden in the union office on the Venture site, Pishon's body was then removed from the site and buried somewhere, Gallagher believes.

Thanking those who have come forward, the family is continuing its effort to find information about Pishon, still hoping people will come forward openly with information that will find his body and bring it home.

The family also has a message to those responsible for Pishon's death: "You will live every day knowing what you did, look into the eyes of your children as they realize what you did, know that everyone around you knows what you did. You cannot hide from your conscience or from God forever."

For more information about the Pishon case, visit findcurt.com.