Family, police ask for public’s help to solve 1987 cold case disappearance of missing Ellenville teen
News 12 is taking a close look at the cold case disappearance of an Ellenville teen who vanished during a night out with friends nearly 38 years ago.
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News 12 is taking a close look at the cold case disappearance of an Ellenville teen who vanished during a night out with friends nearly 38 years ago.
Joseph Helt was 17 years old when he disappeared from the woods of Ellenville on Jan, 16, 1987. As the date of his disappearance once again nears, family and police are renewing their calls for information to solve the case.
“There were helicopters. There were dogs. There were search parties and not a trace of Joe,” says Helt’s aunt, Beth Churchill. “It started to snow that night and snowed for many days after. The snow got very deep, and they had to call off the search.”
What happened to Helt remains a mystery, and News 12 is trying to uncover it with accounts from Churchill, police sources and searchers.
“It’s a very disturbing situation,” says Domingo Ramos, with the nonprofit missing persons rescue group Hope Alive 845.
Ramos says Helt’s disappearance is one of his cases.
“The friends came out, but he didn’t," he says.
Helt’s aunt says the teen was at a popular, wooded hangout with friends - at the abandoned site of the old Mount Cathalia Ski Lodge - before the group decided to drive to the ice caves at Sam’s Point.
Police sources say Helt was with three male friends that night, John LaForge, Wade Marks and Kelly Diaz, and claim the group got into an argument before the Subaru they were riding in got stuck in the snow near Lake Maritanza at approximately 3:30 a.m. His friends allegedly claimed Helt left the car to walk home alone shortly before they did.
Helt was never seen again.
“There were many accusations, theories and people who said they had information but didn’t want to come forward,” said Churchill. “It was very troubling.”
News 12 tried to reach out to the group and spoke to the mother of one of his friends by phone. When asked to speak with her son about the case, the woman replied, “You people are still dwelling on that? Leave my son alone,” and hung up.
A police source says Helt’s friends were questioned and, at the time, considered suspects but that no evidence was ever found of foul play and no arrests were ever made.
Helt’s mother, Leann Helt, died years ago without ever knowing what happened to her son.
“My sister was crushed,” says Churchill. “She always had an emptiness in her heart.”
Helt was last seen wearing a camouflage jacket and a long-sleeved thermal shirt with a gray hooded sweatshirt and white high-top sneakers.
He’d now be 55 years old.
State police are investigating this case and are asking anyone with information to contact them at 845-626-2863, and reference case number M229966588.
“Put yourself in our shoes. If it was your family member, your child, your nephew or brother you’d want to know,” says Churchill. “If someone has answers, just come forward.”
