The day that Ellenville native Beth Churchill found out that her 17-year-old nephew Joseph Helt went missing, will forever be imprinted in her mind.

In the evening of January 16, 1987, Churchill returned to her mother’s house to find Helt’s younger brother looking very distressed. She will never forget watching her sister Lee Helt, Joseph’s mother, posted outside of a barn on the property with a similar expression, as snowflakes fell through a beam of light overhead.

“Immediately, my heart sank,” Churchill said. “For some reason, I knew in that second that something bad happened.”

Law enforcement investigators later revealed that Helt was partying the night prior with several friends at Mount Cathalia Lodge: a now-abandoned ski resort on Mountain Road. Its partially burned ruins served as a popular bonfire and party spot for the rural teens who didn’t have much else to do in the winter, Churchill said.

In the early hours after the party, as the story goes, Helt hopped in a car with several friends, near the Sam's Point Ice Caves area, before their car became stranded in a ditch that they couldn’t dig themselves out of. Helt gave up first and began the five-mile trek home, soon followed by the rest of the group.

But he never made it home that morning, and his location still remains a mystery.

When Lee learned that her son never showed up to his shift at the Auction Barn in Napanoch, where the two worked together, she reported him as missing. Churchill said that Lee, a single mother of four, refused to believe that her son wouldn’t be returning. Eventually, she felt that Lee surrendered to reality. Churchill said her sister was never the same afterwards and that she later passed without knowing Helt’s fate.

State forest rangers, police helicopters, and search dogs combed the surrounding area. Their search, however, was impeded by a nasty snow storm that brought harsh winds, resulting in 10-foot-high snow banks which made even the best trails and roads impassable. Nothing came of the search and investigators still scratch their heads over the truth of what happened.

The Man Behind The Headlines

Churchill remembers Helt as a fun-loving man with a great sense of humor. Churchill said that Helt once lived at his grandmother’s house and, since he was two years younger than her, grew up alongside her almost like siblings. When they lived together, Churchill was a stressed new mother. One night, Helt offered to rock Churchill’s baby to sleep on a wooden rocking chair in the living room, before returning the child to her room while she slumbered.

Armando Rodriguez, who had known Helt since they were roughly eight, remembered how Helt always had a big hug, smile, and a great attitude to offer to his peers whenever he saw them. The two had an unlikely origin story: trading fists over a silly argument before becoming close friends. Rodriguez fondly recalled a sleepover the two had, where Helt spat milk onto Rodriguez’s television while laughing at a Saturday Night Live skit. Today, Rodriguez is filled with regret. He said he wished that he had let Helt climb into his already crammed car after the 1987 party. The look of desperation on Helt’s face, before he went looking for another ride, never left Rodriguez’s mind.

“He was a great guy with a great heart,” Rodriguez said. “He had a lot to give.”

The Impact Of Unanswered Questions

At first, the only emotion attached to Helt’s disappearance was anger, Churchill said. She was angry that he had put himself in such a dangerous situation. Churchill was also furious that no one would bring important information forward, despite many folks circulating their own theories.

Roughly 10 years ago, Churchill said that some of Helt’s classmates were organizing a reunion when someone asked if he was ever found. What started as a discussion of how to memorialize their old friend devolved into a thread of people claiming they knew what really happened, Churchill said. But when Churchill asked them to give their theories to the police, the conversation stopped. No one had any hard evidence to back up their stories.

“Everyone has their own theories and it seems cut and dry,” Churchill said. “But if it was so simple, it would have been solved.”

These conspiracies leaked onto the web, with numerous YouTube videos and Reddit threads. A year ago, reddit user “u/AnastasiaBeavrhausn” detailed some of the ideas spread through Helt’s classmates’ Facebook thread. Some claimed that he was killed over an argument about marijuana. Another classmate claimed that someone told her that Helt was dead, and wouldn’t return. Some boldly claimed that the car was never stranded in the ditch in the first place. Despite the extensive finger-pointing and speculation, investigators never found any merit to these claims.

Churchill was interviewed by media heavyweights like broadcast journalist Nancy Grace, Dateline NBC and CBS New York, and was grateful for the national attention. However, the magnifying scope aimed at her family was overwhelming, especially while Churchill tried to shield her children from the fiasco. Churchill said she still wishes for some shred of evidence that would prove what happened to her nephew.

“I’m done with the blame game,” Churchill said. “I just want to move on.”

Ellenville Police Chief Phil Mattracion said that the Ellenville Police Department usually get phone calls with tips on the disappearance, each year, around the date that Helt went missing. Everyone from psychics to concerned citizens have tried to offer more information. Although each lead is investigated by NY State Police, he continued, they aren’t any closer to finding answers. Despite rumors spreading that this cold case was dropped by law enforcement, Mattracion added that the New York State Police are continuing their investigation. Mattracion urged anyone with knowledge of the case, no matter how small, to contact the New York State Police in Kerhonkson at 845-626-2800.

“This case was never forgotten and never will be,” Mattracion said.