Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Case Updates with Photos
Joseph David Helt
Joseph, date, approximate 1987; Age-progression to age 50 (date, approximate 2019)
Date Missing 01/16/1987
Missing From
Ellenville, New York
Missing Classification Lost/Injured Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 07/18/1969 (53)
Age 17 years old
Height and Weight 5'9, 150 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A camouflage-print jacket, a t-shirt, a long-sleeved thermal shirt, a gray hooded sweatshirt and white high-top sneakers.
Associated Vehicle(s) Subaru (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Blond hair, brown eyes. Joseph's nickname is Joe.
Details of Disappearance Joseph was last seen near Sam's Point ice caves in Ellenville, New York on January 16, 1987. He and three friends, John LaForge, Wade Marks and Kelly Diaz, were staying at the Mount Cathalia Lodge when they decided to go for a late-night drive in LaForge's Subaru.
Joseph was driving when their car got stuck in the snow at approximately 3:30 a.m. The four young men were unable to push the car out and Joseph left the car and went to get help at the village five miles downhill. Diaz and Marks also abandoned the car a short time later, then LaForge left as well, separately from the others.
The three other boys made it to safety, but Joseph has never been seen from again. The others assumed he had gone home and didn't realize he was missing until the next day, when LaForge went back to retrieve his car. An extensive search turned up no sign of Joseph. The inclement weather seriously hampered the search efforts; there was a great deal of snow and high winds, and most of the roads on the mountain were impassible.
At the time of his disappearance, Joseph worked alongside his mother at the Auction Barn in Napanoch, New York. He was interested in rock music, particularly the band KISS. Both of his parents have died in the years since his disappearance, but his aunt and his friends hope he may yet be located.
Investigating Agency
New York State Police
Ellenville Office
845-626-2800
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The Albany Times Union
The Shawangunk Journal
Unsolved in the News
The Cold Squad
Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Case Updates with Photos