Joseph Cleveland Batiste, 52, walked away from Camelia Garden Nursing Home in Pineville, Louisiana, on September 1, 1995, and has not been seen or heard from since. At the time he vanished he wore a blue and white striped shirt and tan pants. He is described as a Black man, 5 feet 7 inches tall, about 180 pounds, with graying black hair, brown eyes, and a mustache and beard.

The Pineville Police Department handled the investigation but very few details about his departure or whereabouts emerged. An official report of his disappearance was not filed until December 30, 1995, nearly four months after he was last seen. DNA samples from his son and daughter were later submitted to the Louisiana State University Faces Laboratory to help with identification efforts.

Anyone who saw Joseph in Pineville around late summer 1995 or who has information about his disappearance is asked to come forward.