With true crime podcasts at the peak of popularity and internet sleuths around every corner, maybe we can help solve a 35-year-old Hudson Valley missing persons case.

Ellenville, NY Missing Persons Case

I'll admit, I listen to true crime and cold case podcasts daily. When I came across a local Dateline story, I knew I had to get more information. While scrolling through Dateline's Facebook account I ran across a story about a teenager who went missing back in 1987.

Joseph David Helt, who is originally from Ellenville, was 17 years old when he went missing. According to a Dateline article that was published in 2021, Joseph was out partying with friends at Mount Cathalia on January 16th, 1987.

Mount Cathalia was a former ski lodge and, at the time, a popular hangout.

What Happened to Joseph David Helt?

Dateline reports that Joseph was last seen after going out for a late night drive after the party. The car he was in somehow got stuck in a snowy ditch by Sam's Point. It's been documented that Joseph walked away from his friends to get help and hasn't been seen since.

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Joseph's Aunt Beth Churchill told Dateline in 2021:

“It’s like he just disappeared into thin air. But a person doesn’t just disappear. Something happened to him. I felt it that night and I still feel it.”

The Charley Project adds that Joseph was last seen wearing a "camouflage-print jacket, a t-shirt, a long-sleeved thermal shirt, a gray hooded sweatshirt and white high-top sneakers." They also shared a digital image with an age progression photo which you can see below. Joseph would be about 53 years old now.

The Charley Project
The Charley Project
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If you have any information on Joseph Helt and what may have happened that cold January night in 1987, call the New York State Police at 845-626-2800. Joseph's case number is:#SJS3009202

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