by BNimri Aziz April 15, 2025
Rockland town residents had waited throughout the winter for any news of Moses Baptiste’s whereabouts. For six months nothing had been heard of the Roscoe man. With the discovery of his body in mid-March, as shocking as it was, his family can lay him to rest and many Roscoe inhabitants can pay respects to a person they feel they knew and trusted.
He was a local man, 43, resident in the village for a decade. Liked by anyone who talked with him. People I spoke to say they never heard that he’d ever felt threatened or that he’d been involved in any altercation.
Although few Roscoe residents could say they knew Moses well, almost everyone living here recognized him. He was a feature of the village, regularly seen pushing his cart loaded with the bottles and cans he faithfully collected to carry to the next town to redeem for cash - a modest supplement to his state allowance. You might say he was our local conservationist, recycling throwaways and helping to keep our streets free of debris.
A taciturn fellow, he lived alone, though he was not a recluse. He was self-sufficient, drove his own car and used a computer at his Roscoe apartment. After living here for ten years, he seemed settled. Maybe for some he was a reassuring presence in a quiet place where few people stroll its streets. Moses was familiar enough that his absence last September was immediately noted, and reported. A search of his apartment indicated there’d been no break in, no sign of violence, no suggestion that he’d voluntarily left his home.
Moses was African American. His family who lives close to New York City was contacted. No, they hadn’t heard from him; they’d have known if he’d relocated. Comments about his disappearance were shared among locals. In the weeks following the man vanishing, police made inquiries throughout the neighborhood. For two days, maybe more, helicopters were heard flying up and down the Beaverkill River after authorities suspected Moses may have drowned. Those searches yielded nothing. Worrying remarks circulated that Moses was the victim of an assault. Then silence. In an investigation ongoing? Is the FBI involved? No one could say.
The man’s disappearance seemed to have been forgotten. Winter set in, a time when few people are in the street. We became occupied protecting ourselves from the harsh weather, dealing with seasonal coughs and rheumatism, with illnesses in the family. Months passed.
At the start of the year, remembering Moses, I casually asked if those seated with me at a local venue had news of his disappearance. “No news”. Then I’m told, “Oh, we know who may have got rid of him. He may never be found.” He’d been lost for so long now; some assumed those suspects buried him somewhere in the woods where his body could never be unearthed. “They could ditch him anywhere. How could anyone search through all the Catskill forests?” There was too much gossip. No facts. No official statements. “Surely the police would have pursued those same rumors and questioned suspects,” I replied. Too many shrugs.
Could the man’s race be the reason for the apparent disinterest? Or his illness? Would a missing gay person be similarly dismissed? Or one of thousands of Hispanic workers living among us? Or Muslim residents of Sullivan County? Across Sullivan and Delaware there are many thousands, mostly elderly people, who live alone. Any who went missing had to be investigated.
How this man’s body was recovered so near the town is unclear. It was not totally buried, not dug up by dogs or coyotes, I was told. Moses’ family was contacted and they came up here to identify him. His funeral will be in Roscoe.
Yet rumors persist about Moses Baptiste’s death. We hear his body was found partially covered in a tarp, that his death is a possible suicide. It’s reported by the family that he was shot. Was a gun found that suggests this? If not, the next question is: Is Moses’ death now being actively investigated as a homicide? If so, what does that mean for other residents?
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