2000 Pishon, Curtis, 07/04/00, Hampton

[tatertot]

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?he...e6-235b46a38f2b

Seabrook dig turns up no sign of body
By GRETYL MACALASTER
Union Leader Correspondent
7 hours, 58 minutes ago

SEABROOK – After a two-day search, police are not any closer to locating the body of a security guard who has been missing for almost a decade.

Curtis Pishon would turn 50 this year.

Pishon has been missing since 2000 and his family has long held the belief that he was murdered.

Police agree, but have not been able to prove it.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin said state and local police conducted a two-day search on the property of a South Main Street residence, but turned up nothing. Pishon family members said officials dug up the slab of a Seabrook home.

In August 2007, police conducted a search at Veterans Memorial Park, also located on South Main Street, and also turned up nothing.

"Obviously we are hopeful about it but we have been in this position before," Crystle Pishon, Curtis Pishon's sister, said yesterday afternoon. "We are very hopeful but are going to sit back and see what happens. We don't want to get too excited about it."

The cold case has been especially frustrating for Seabrook Lt. Mike Gallagher, who picked it up as a detective sergeant between 2004 and 2005.

He said information has come into the department that specifies who committed the murder and how it happened, but said there is not enough probable cause to garner search or arrest warrants.

Gallagher said although there are more than one persons of interest in the case, resident Robert April, 41, is the main one.

April, of 6 Janvrin Drive in Seabrook, has been a person of interest in the case since 2005, Gallagher said.

April worked at Venture Corporation, where Pishon was a security guard before his disappearance.

In October 2008, April was charged with criminal threatening and simple assault.

A witness in the case said April told him that he killed the missing person from Seabrook.

"(When) I see your brother boy I'm gonna slice his throat and nobody will find his body just like the missing person from Seabrook, ya that's right I (expletive) killed him and your brother is next and nobody will find hind [sic] an ounce of blood. I buried him in my yard amd [sic] your brother's next," April told the witness, according to the supporting affidavit for the arrest.

April was found not guilty of the charges in February 2009. Gallagher said the witness changed his testimony at trial.

"It is really, really frustrating. Seabrook has a code of silence and there are people out there who have the information we need to make an arrest and find his (Pishon's) remains," Gallagher said. "Most of the information we get is second- or third-hand and not enough for probable cause to get a search warrant."

Gallagher said there is also a fear of the person or persons responsible for Pishon's disappearance.

He said he has had many conversations with April over the years, but he has not provided any information helpful to the case. Gallagher said that at one time, April refused to take a polygraph test as requested by the department.

Police would not comment on whether April had any specific connections to the property searched on South Main Street this week.

"What we really want now as a family is to get his remains and have a proper burial," Crystle Pishon said. "Even though we know intellectually, it is a very hard thing. Being able to go through the grieving process properly will help us a lot."

Curtis Pishon served as a Concord police officer for 10 years before receiving a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis that impacted his ability to act as a police officer.

Pishon worked as a security guard at Venture Corporation, but otherwise kept largely to himself, his family has said.

Pishon had expressed to his family that he was uneasy at the job in the days before his disappearance. He told them he had an altercation with an employee over a parking ticket he issued and suspected illegal activities were going on in the parking lot.

At 2 a.m. on July 4, 2000, fire crews responded to Venture for a report of a car on fire. Pishon's car was engulfed in flames, but those on the scene say he remained calm about it.

Less than two hours later, he was missing.

The family launched a Web site in 2008 called FindCurt.com to try to gain any information about the case. They also offered a reward for information leading to the return of Pishon's remains.

[ELL]

It may have happened over a decade ago, but the emotional scars caused by the sudden disappearance of Curtis Pishon are just as fresh as that fateful day on July 5, 2000.

Pishon was last seen in the early morning hours on July 5, 2000, while working as a security guard in Seabrook.

Despite strong theories about Pishon being murdered by someone at the property which he was guarding, there has been no closure for Pishon's family because no eye witnesses have come forward and no confessions have been made.

"That's what we're looking for," said Nick Pishon, Curtis' father. "It’s very frustrating. We miss him every day. There are ups and downs and we're still hopeful that we'll find his remains... [or] someone will come forward to give authorities what need to close the case and make an arrest."

The case, which is still being investigated by the Seabrook Police Department and the state Attorney General's Cold Case Team, has been dormant since the last failed lead in 2010, although that hasn't stopped family members and police from continuing to spread word about Pishon's presumed murder.

The case has garnered national media coverage along the way, and has even appeared on the popular syndicated TV show "Unsolved Mysteries."

Seabrook Police Lt. Mike Gallagher said all of that still hasn't been enough, though, to conjure the piece or pieces of evidence authorities need in order to finally pull Pishon's name off a list of 118 New Hampshire cold cases.

"I’ve had so many sleepless nights over this," said Gallagher, a 22-year veteran of the department who was in charge of the case for five years. "What we’re really waiting for right now is some firsthand knowledge to help us out. We have a pretty good picture of what happened, but it will not get us a search warrant or an arrest warrant for that matter."

Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeff Strelzin, who is the head of the state's homicide unit, said authorities firmly believe "foul play" was involved based on the "circumstances" leading to Pishon's disappearance.

Pishon was guarding the now-defunct Venture Corporation while 12 workers were inside the facility in the early morning hours of July 5, 2000 -- six days before Pishon's 41st birthday.

It was around 1 a.m. when Pishon's car suspiciously burst into flames, which Gallagher said he believes was caused by two of the workers as a "diversion" while they attempted to use forklifts to break into vending machines inside Venture.

Pishon was at the scene of the fire when firefighters arrived, and was near the guard shack when firefighters cleared the area.

A worker then saw Pishon around 3:15 a.m. walking in or around the building -- which Gallagher said Pishon didn't do often because the man suffered from multiple sclerosis.

That was the last time Pishon was seen, as a worker later noticed Pishon, who would've turned 52 on Monday, was missing from his post around 3:45 a.m.

Gallagher said Pishon's burned car was still in the lot, though, and the man's lighter, cigarettes and contact lens solution were all in still in the guard shack.

Nick Pishon said he feels these details alone point to foul play because his son would've taken his cigarettes had he decided to "wander off" or run away.

"Smokers don’t leave their cigarettes behind," said Nick Pishon. "We knew [foul play was involved] anyway because we know who he was, but this is clear evidence of that to other people."

Gallagher said he believes Pishon may have "gone to get a Coke" from one of the vending machines around 3:15 a.m. after standing by the fire, at which point he may have walked in on individuals trying to steal money out of the machines.

Gallagher said a worker noticed two vehicles speeding out of the parking lot around the time Pishon disappeared, which may have been the workers taking Pishon or his body off the premises.

Every worker but Pishon was accounted for the next day, though, and police didn't get a description of the vehicles or get enough evidence to connect several damaged vending machines to Pishon's disappearance.

Still, Gallagher said he has identified a suspect -- he said he just lacks probable cause as well anything other than "third-person accounts" about what happened, preventing him from making an arrest.

"I think the community knows what happened," he said. "Everyone knows that we know. The people who did it know that we know they did it. He’s a local. I think he stays in his trailer, maybe on a self-imposed prison term, so maybe there's a little justice there."

Members of the community have come forward with third-party leads, the most recent of which lead to an unsuccessful, two-day excavation of a cement slab behind a South Main Street home in April 2010.

None have broken the case wide open as hoped, and regardless of whether the suspect is serving a self-imposed sentence, Pishon's family and police said they haven't lost hope that the suspect or someone else will come forward to bring true justice for Pishon.

"I just want them to come forward and help us end this thing," said Gallagher. "Just think of the family. Help them bury their son and get their son back and their brother. This has gone on long enough.

"I think this is an accident. I don't think they meant to kill them, and that will be taken into account. Sooner or later I will get them -- I just ask them to come forward."

There is a monetary reward for anyone providing information that leads to the discovery of Pishon's body.

Nick Pishon and authorities asked anyone with information to call the New Hampshire Crimeline at 474-2640, the Seabrook Police Department at 474-5200, or 877-51-FINDCURT to leave an anonymous voicemail for the family.

Additional information about Pishon and his life are available at a website created by his family called FindCurt.com.
http://hampton-northhampton.patch.com/arti...-still-haunting

[ELL]

Curt

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Time dwindles for cold case unit
Funding uncertain, inquiries continue
By Maddie Hanna / Monitor staff
May 6, 2012Share this
..Since he disappeared during a night shift 12 years ago, Curtis Pishon's family has pieced together much of the story behind what they're sure was his murder.

They set up a website, which generated anonymous tips confirming what the police suspected: that Pishon, a former Concord police officer working as a security guard at a Seabrook manufacturer, was killed after discovering a crime in the early morning hours of July 5, 2000.

They stay in touch with the Seabrook police, who have identified persons of interest, including a man who reportedly claimed to have killed and buried Pishon, who was 40 when he disappeared. But Pishon's body has never been found, and no arrests have been made in the case.

"Everybody, I think, knows who killed my son," said Curt's father, Nick Pishon. "But ample evidence is not present."

The Pishons were hopeful when the state created a cold case unit in 2009 dedicated to solving cases like theirs. New Hampshire has more than 100 unsolved murders and suspicious disappearances dating back to the late 1960s, and by assigning a team to focus on those cases, the Pishons saw a greater chance, however distant, of reaching a resolution in Curt's. In 2010, the unit led a dig at a Seabrook home to search for his remains.

Nothing came of the dig, but it allowed the police to check out a tip that had seemed promising. "Local communities just don't have the resources to dedicate somebody to do that bush-shaking," said Curt's brother, Nick.

That dedicated effort may disappear next year when the $1.2 million federal stimulus grant that funds the unit expires. While state lawmakers recently passed a bill to continue the cold case unit after 2013, they haven't shown any intention of paying for it: A Senate amendment limits the unit's funding options to grants and federal dollars.

The stimulus money was due to expire in February 2013, but the attorney general's office was able to extend the unit's grant until June 2013. After next year, however, grant administrators say it's unlikely they'll be able to find other federal money.

That gives the unit's prosecutor and investigators about 13 months to continue to work through their list of cases. Since the unit began, indictments have been issued in a 1988 double-homicide in Nashua and a 1989 arson that killed a family of four in Keene, and officials say other cases are approaching prosecution.

Given the advancement of those cases, "I am worried about our ability to staff these cold case prosecutions when the federal grant expires," Attorney General Michael Delaney said. He said the unit would be "something I would clearly be advocating for in the next budget process."

Without a cold case unit, Delaney said the state wouldn't stop working on unsolved murder cases.

But prosecutors and the state police will likely only work on the cases if new evidence presents itself or as time permits, "and you've seen what's been going on recently," said state police Sgt. Scott Gilbert, referring to the number of murders currently under investigation. "Time doesn't permit it."


Few resources

Unsolved for a reason, cold cases are usually harder to work than current murder cases. "The resources are even more important," said Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin.

Even with the federal money, the unit doesn't have enough resources to work a case on its own, he said.

Strelzin, the chief of the state's homicide unit, is the lone prosecutor assigned to the unit, filling the position of former prosecutor Will Delker, who left the office last year when he was appointed a superior court judge.

Leading the unit's investigators is Gilbert, who previously worked in the state police major crimes unit. Trooper Mike Kokoski also works for the unit full time, while Investigator Robert Freitas has a part-time position. Two volunteers, Milly Knudsen and Verne Greene, fill the roles of paralegals and administrative assistants.
On its own, the staff can't handle a homicide case, which requires two prosecutors, as many as 10 investigators and paralegal support, Strelzin said. As a result, the unit has to draw upon the attorney general's office and additional state police when a case gets active.

While the collaborative approach has worked, the unit couldn't continue to operate without dedicated funding, Strelzin said.

"Neither agency has the resources to be able to continue fielding something separate from what we already have," he said. Administrators with the attorney general's office weren't sure how much the cold case investigations cost beyond the federal grant, since the costs are included in other budget lines.

The unit began its work by compiling a list of the state's unsolved murders and disappearances - no small task, given the scattered accounting, Gilbert said. Departments kept their own lists, and case information was spread between agencies.

Once that was assembled, the unit listed the 118 victims on a newly created cold case website. It reviewed each case for solvability, prioritizing those that still had identified suspects, available witnesses and physical evidence.

To work the cases, investigators started from scratch. Witnesses had to be re-interviewed, which can benefit investigators, Gilbert said. If a witness no longer has a close relationship with a suspect, he may offer new information when interviewed years later.

In other cases, the passage of time doesn't help. Physical evidence may not have been handled or stored in a way that allows for accurate DNA testing.

Strelzin and Gilbert didn't comment on what helped investigators arrest David McLeod, who is charged in the 1989 apartment building fire in Keene that killed the Hina family, or Anthony Barnaby and David Caplin, who are charged with murder in the 1988 deaths of Charlene Ranstrom and Brenda Warner in Nashua.

Barnaby and Caplin were arrested last year in Canada, and prosecutors are awaiting their extradition, Strelzin said.

In the McLeod case, prosecutors have appealed a superior court judge's decision that barred testimony from fire science experts who determined the fire's cause was arson based partly on information from a witness who died several years ago. Oral arguments likely won't happen until the fall.

Other prosecutions may come forward, Strelzin said. "It just all depends on what breaks."

Gilbert estimated that 10 of the unit's cases are active "and have some good viability to them." He and Strelzin didn't comment further on those investigations.

The unit has also identified cases that likely can't be solved, including situations where the suspected perpetrator is dead. Gilbert said the unit has "at least a half dozen" of those cases, and the unit is deciding whether it will issue written reports and close them, Strelzin said.

"It would be useful for the family and the public to know that, and also for future investigators to know they shouldn't put any resources toward that case," he said.


Who will pay?

Lawmakers said they believe the cold case unit is worth continuing - they just aren't sure who will pay for it.

"If we could find some way to find dedicated funds somewhere in government, that would be excellent, because the unit really has done, I think, a tremendous job," said Rep. Steve Shurtleff, a Concord Democrat who serves on the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee and is one of the sponsors of the bill continuing the cold case unit.

But "in a tough budget year where we saw a lot of cuts, there was nobody in the majority who was interested in putting forth legislation to provide funding," Shurtleff said.

Rep. David Welch, a Kingston Republican who also sponsored the bill, said the committee considered proposing money for the unit, "but we felt as though that wouldn't fly." They settled on a bill that would at least allow the unit to exist after next year
"If they're hot on the trail of solving a case and all it takes is money to extend it, I'm sure they'll find a way to do it," Welch said.

If a new witness comes forward in a cold case, "we're not going to say, 'Sorry, we can't do that,' " Strelzin said. "It just means we're not going to be able to go back, open up a cold case and put a lot of resources into it."

In the 12 years before the unit was formed, Strelzin said the attorney general's office prosecuted four cold cases: James Whittey, convicted in 2002 for the 1981 murder of Yvonne Fine; Lucille Sanchez, convicted in 2003 for the 1989 murder of Lucienne Lemaire; George Knickerbocker, convicted in 2004 for the 1981 murder of Adam Robbins; and Eric Windhurst, convicted in 2006 for the 1985 murder of Danny Paquette.

The two prosecutions the cold case unit has brought forward "may not sound like a lot," Strelzin said. But compared to four in 12 years, "it does typically work better if you can focus," he said.

The unit's work is important on principle, Strelzin said.

"Murder is one of the worst crimes that someone can commit," he said. "So the idea that if someone just waits long enough, they can get away with it is a terrible concept."

For families of victims, some of whom call the unit often, "knowing that their loved one's case is not sitting in a box on a back shelf somewhere collecting dust gives them satisfaction," Gilbert said.

If the unit shuts down next year, the Pishons won't stop seeking tips in Curt Pishon's case. They want the person responsible for his disappearance brought to justice, and they want to find his remains. A gravestone marks his place at the state veterans cemetery in Boscawen.

"For all those reasons, we'd like to have the cold case squad continue to exist just on the chance they might be able to do something," Nick Pishon, Curt's father, said. "While they've got a lot of cases and very little to go on, it's better than nothing. Just barely."

(Maddie Hanna can be reached at 369-3321 or mhanna@cmonitor.com.)

http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/3278...e-unit?page=0,2

[PorchlightUSA]

Found a recent article on his disappearance:

http://hampton-northhampton.patch.co...still-haunting

Seabrook Cold Case Still Haunts Family
Eleven years later, local authorities are still frustrated by the inability to prove a murder theory.
By Kyle Stucker Email the author July 14, 2011 Print&nbps;0 Comments


It may have happened over a decade ago, but the emotional scars caused by the sudden disappearance of Curtis Pishon are just as fresh as that fateful day on July 5, 2000.

Pishon was last seen in the early morning hours on July 5, 2000, while working as a security guard in Seabrook.

Despite strong theories about Pishon being murdered by someone at the property which he was guarding, there has been no closure for Pishon's family because no eye witnesses have come forward and no confessions have been made.

"That's what we're looking for," said Nick Pishon, Curtis' father. "It’s very frustrating. We miss him every day. There are ups and downs and we're still hopeful that we'll find his remains... [or] someone will come forward to give authorities what need to close the case and make an arrest."

The case, which is still being investigated by the Seabrook Police Department and the state Attorney General's Cold Case Team, has been dormant since the last failed lead in 2010, although that hasn't stopped family members and police from continuing to spread word about Pishon's presumed murder.

The case has garnered national media coverage along the way, and has even appeared on the popular syndicated TV show "Unsolved Mysteries."

Seabrook Police Lt. Mike Gallagher said all of that still hasn't been enough, though, to conjure the piece or pieces of evidence authorities need in order to finally pull Pishon's name off a list of 118 New Hampshire cold cases.

"I’ve had so many sleepless nights over this," said Gallagher, a 22-year veteran of the department who was in charge of the case for five years. "What we’re really waiting for right now is some firsthand knowledge to help us out. We have a pretty good picture of what happened, but it will not get us a search warrant or an arrest warrant for that matter."

Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeff Strelzin, who is the head of the state's homicide unit, said authorities firmly believe "foul play" was involved based on the "circumstances" leading to Pishon's disappearance.

Pishon was guarding the now-defunct Venture Corporation while 12 workers were inside the facility in the early morning hours of July 5, 2000 -- six days before Pishon's 41st birthday.

It was around 1 a.m. when Pishon's car suspiciously burst into flames, which Gallagher said he believes was caused by two of the workers as a "diversion" while they attempted to use forklifts to break into vending machines inside Venture.

Pishon was at the scene of the fire when firefighters arrived, and was near the guard shack when firefighters cleared the area.

A worker then saw Pishon around 3:15 a.m. walking in or around the building -- which Gallagher said Pishon didn't do often because the man suffered from multiple sclerosis.

That was the last time Pishon was seen, as a worker later noticed Pishon, who would've turned 52 on Monday, was missing from his post around 3:45 a.m.

Gallagher said Pishon's burned car was still in the lot, though, and the man's lighter, cigarettes and contact lens solution were all in still in the guard shack.

Nick Pishon said he feels these details alone point to foul play because his son would've taken his cigarettes had he decided to "wander off" or run away.

"Smokers don’t leave their cigarettes behind," said Nick Pishon. "We knew [foul play was involved] anyway because we know who he was, but this is clear evidence of that to other people."

Gallagher said he believes Pishon may have "gone to get a Coke" from one of the vending machines around 3:15 a.m. after standing by the fire, at which point he may have walked in on individuals trying to steal money out of the machines.

Gallagher said a worker noticed two vehicles speeding out of the parking lot around the time Pishon disappeared, which may have been the workers taking Pishon or his body off the premises.

Every worker but Pishon was accounted for the next day, though, and police didn't get a description of the vehicles or get enough evidence to connect several damaged vending machines to Pishon's disappearance.

Still, Gallagher said he has identified a suspect -- he said he just lacks probable cause as well anything other than "third-person accounts" about what happened, preventing him from making an arrest.

"I think the community knows what happened," he said. "Everyone knows that we know. The people who did it know that we know they did it. He’s a local. I think he stays in his trailer, maybe on a self-imposed prison term, so maybe there's a little justice there."

Members of the community have come forward with third-party leads, the most recent of which lead to an unsuccessful, two-day excavation of a cement slab behind a South Main Street home in April 2010.

None have broken the case wide open as hoped, and regardless of whether the suspect is serving a self-imposed sentence, Pishon's family and police said they haven't lost hope that the suspect or someone else will come forward to bring true justice for Pishon.

"I just want them to come forward and help us end this thing," said Gallagher. "Just think of the family. Help them bury their son and get their son back and their brother. This has gone on long enough.

"I think this is an accident. I don't think they meant to kill them, and that will be taken into account. Sooner or later I will get them -- I just ask them to come forward."

There is a monetary reward for anyone providing information that leads to the discovery of Pishon's body.

Nick Pishon and authorities asked anyone with information to call the New Hampshire Crimeline at 474-2640, the Seabrook Police Department at 474-5200, or 877-51-FINDCURT to leave an anonymous voicemail for the family.

Additional information about Pishon and his life are available at a website created by his family called FindCurt.com.


Read more: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showth...2#ixzz21ES2pCS6

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http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/201...?cid=sitesearch
Burglary, threatening charges dropped after witness doesn't show
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pcronin@seacoastonline.com
June 29, 2012 2:00 AMSEABROOK — Charges against a Seabrook man accused of breaking into a home and threatening two people with a knife last July were dismissed after a key witness for the prosecution failed to show up in court.

It was the second time in recent years that a criminal case against Robert April, 43, fell apart when a witness didn't live up to the expectations of prosecutors.

April's history also includes Seabrook police naming him as a "person of interest" — but never charging him — in the disappearance 12 years ago of a local man who is presumed dead.

In the most recent case, April was arrested by Seabrook police on one count of burglary and two counts of criminal threatening in connection with a July 13, 2011 incident.

Police said April broke into a home on Janvrin Drive for the purpose of committing a theft. April pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment.

The case was scheduled to go to trial at Rockingham Superior Court, but the key witness did not show up despite subpoenas directing him to do so. As result, the charges were dismissed by Judge William Delker, and the case was closed on June 1.

"It was frustrating for us because we wanted to pursue the case to the fullest," said Seabrook police Lt. Michael Gallagher.

April has had many run-ins with law enforcement over the years.

Seabrook police named April as "person of interest" in the July 5, 2000 disappearance of Curtis Pishon, a security guard at the former Seabrook-based Venture Corp. Pishon was never found. His family believes he was abducted and murdered. Each year on the anniversary of Pishon's disappearance, his family makes a public plea for anyone with information about the case to come forward.

Gallagher said April has "told other people" he killed Pishon. "But there was just not enough evidence for an arrest warrant," Gallagher said, adding Seabrook police have exhausted all of their leads in the 12-year-old cold case. Attempts to reach April for comment have been unsuccessful.

In 2009, April was found not guilty on misdemeanor charges of grabbing a local teenager and threatening to kill his family over an unpaid debt after the main witness recanted his story on the stand.

According to an affidavit in that case filed by Seabrook police officer Mark Richardson, the teen claimed April approached him about $30 his brother owed and said, "When I see your brother boy, I'm gonna slice his throat and nobody will find his body just like the missing person from Seabrook. Yah, that's right, I (expletive) killed him and your brother is next."

But when the teen was on the witness stand, he testified he couldn't remember what happened. The teen admitted on the stand to speaking with April before the trial, saying April had "asked for forgiveness." Prior to the trial, the teen witness could be heard in the hallway yelling that he didn't want to go through with the trial.

In the 2011 Janvrin Drive burglary case, prosecutors said they could not proceed without the witness.

According to court documents, the witness was the Janvrin Drive homeowner, and prosecutors needed him to testify that he did not give April permission to enter his home.

According to court documents, the homeowner also said April threatened two other individuals who live in the home. April was accused of threatening two people inside the home by making "stabbing motions with a knife," after he was caught in the process of committing a theft.