Key facts
- Name: Curtis Pishon
- Born: July 11, 1959
- Age at disappearance: 40
- Last seen: July 5, 2000, around 3:15 a.m.
- Location: Venture Corporation plant, Seabrook, New Hampshire — graveyard-shift security guard
- Status: Still missing — declared legally dead April 2008; case open; $10,000 reward
- Investigating agency: NH Cold Case Unit (603-271-2663; coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov); family tip line (603) 746-1196
The burning car
At 1:42 a.m. on July 5, 2000, Curtis Pishon called the Seabrook Fire Department from his guard booth: his car was on fire.
It was the Fourth of July holiday; only about a dozen people were working the overnight shift. Curtis, a guard for the Reliable Security Guard Agency, had arrived at 9:30 p.m.; his early-90s green Mercury Topaz was parked eight feet from the booth. Firefighters found it engulfed — a total loss.
Deputy Chief Jeff Brown was struck by his demeanor: Curtis said he had no idea how the fire started and seemed curiously subdued — “very accepting that his car had been torched.” His brother Mark couldn’t square it — Curtis, he said, stored what he treasured most in his car. “I can’t believe he was quiet, timid.” The family said a scent dog found no accelerants, though the Murder, She Told podcast states the fire was later ruled arson. No one has ever said who set it, or why.
Curtis logged the incident at 2:00 a.m. Around 3:15, a supervisor spoke with him by phone and said he seemed normal. At 3:45 a.m., a colleague arrived to start a shift and found the booth empty. Curtis was gone: a 30-minute window, and he never came back.
He left behind his lunch, his glasses, and his cigarettes. The only calls he placed from the guard shack that night were to his mother. He had been planning to buy a new car and was looking forward to a family vacation. No pension checks have been collected since, and there has been no activity on his bank accounts or credit cards.
The badge he had to give up
Curtis had always wanted to be a police officer. After serving as a military police officer in Korea, he joined the Concord, New Hampshire police department in 1983, serving ten years on patrol.
In 1990, double vision led to a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. By 1994, at 35, he could no longer fire his gun accurately and was forced to medically retire — a loss his brother Mark said devastated him.
Hard years followed: depression, drinking, a security job lost. The guard post at Venture, taken in December 1998, gave him back some self-esteem.
One detail haunted the family: on July 3, 2000, Curtis paid his father $200 to buy back a handgun he had sold him years earlier. Both police and family considered suicide — until the Pishons walked through his apartment with Seabrook police. His mother found the fridge stocked with food, and the family says something they found there dispelled the suicide theory entirely.
The investigation
Seabrook police chief Michael Gallagher told Murder, She Told that two things happened that night: the car fire, and — discovered later — a break-in at the plant’s vending machines and change machine, forced open with a forklift. Police believed the car may have been torched as a diversion while the machines were robbed. They also considered that Curtis had interrupted something: he had told his brother he suspected drug deals in the parking lot.
In 2005, police publicly named Robert E. April — one of the dozen on shift that night — as a person of interest. In October 2008, April was arrested in an unrelated case for threatening a teenager; the affidavit alleged he said “I killed him” and “I buried him in my yard,” referring to the missing man from Seabrook. His property was searched in 2010; nothing was found. He refused a polygraph and has never been charged in Curtis’s case. He is presumed innocent.
In 2008 the family launched the “Find Curt” campaign with a $5,000 reward that has since grown to $10,000. The tips were dark, detailed, and consistent. But most of what police hold is third-hand: no search warrants, no charges. Curtis was declared legally dead in April 2008. His father died on February 5, 2024, at 89, without learning what happened to his son.
Theories: what might have happened
Killed after interrupting a crime. The leading theory. Supports it: the forklift break-in that same night, the suspected diversion fire, Curtis’s warnings about drug activity in the lot, the named person of interest. Undercuts it: no witness, no physical evidence made public, no charges in 26 years — and the named man has never been charged and is presumed innocent.
Suicide. Supports it: depression and alcohol history, the gun bought back two days earlier, the calm reaction to the burning car. Undercuts it: good spirits that night, plans for a new car and a family vacation, a stocked fridge — and MS that would have made it hard to walk far.
Voluntary disappearance. Undercuts it: a remote plant, no way to leave undetected, the abandoned lunch, glasses, and cigarettes, no bank activity since, and 26 years of silence.
Have information?
Contact the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit at (603) 271-2663 or coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov — or the family tip line at (603) 746-1196. A $10,000 reward is offered. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- July 11, 1959 — Curtis Pishon is born.
- 1983–1994 — Ten years on the Concord, NH police force; medically retires after an MS diagnosis.
- July 3, 2000 — Pays his father $200 to buy back a handgun.
- July 5, 2000, 1:42 a.m. — His car catches fire in the plant lot; he calls the fire department.
- July 5, 2000, 3:45 a.m. — Colleague arrives; the booth is empty. Curtis is gone.
- October 16, 2001 — Profiled on Unsolved Mysteries.
- 2005 — Robert E. April publicly named a person of interest.
- 2008 — “Find Curt” campaign launches; Curtis declared legally dead in April.
- 2010 — April’s property searched; nothing found.
- 2020–2025 — WMUR, The Trail Went Cold, and Murder, She Told coverage; 25th anniversary passes.
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Is Curtis Pishon still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, he has been missing for more than 26 years, and his case remains open.
What happened to Curtis Pishon’s car?
His Mercury Topaz caught fire in the plant lot around 1:42 a.m., eight feet from his guard booth. Arson or accident has never been established.
How old would Curtis Pishon be today?
Born July 11, 1959, he turned 67 in July 2026.
Was Curtis Pishon declared dead?
He was declared legally dead in April 2008 — a legal procedure for estate matters. His missing-person case remains open.
Who is Robert April?
A coworker on shift that night, publicly named a person of interest in 2005. A 2008 arrest affidavit in an unrelated case alleged he made threatening statements about Curtis. He refused a polygraph, his property was searched in 2010 with nothing found, and he has never been charged. He is presumed innocent.
What is the reward in the Curtis Pishon case?
$10,000, through the family’s “Find Curt” campaign.
Was the case on Unsolved Mysteries?
Yes — profiled October 16, 2001, and later covered by The Trail Went Cold and the Murder, She Told podcast.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: NH Cold Case Unit ((603) 271-2663; coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov); Seabrook PD (seabrookpd.com); family tip line (603) 746-1196; “Find Curt” campaign.
- Reference: The Charley Project; Unsolved.com; AMW Fans (retrieved Oct 2026).
- News: WMUR; SeacoastOnline; The Daily News of Newburyport; The Patch; Chip Chick.
- Media: Unsolved Mysteries (Oct 16, 2001); Murder, She Told; The Trail Went Cold ep. 195.
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.