Joseph Hellman, 37, was last seen or heard from on January 29, 2019, in Omaha, Nebraska. A Council Bluffs, Iowa resident, he was reported missing on February 21, 2019. What began as a missing person inquiry had become a homicide investigation by December 2019 after evidence and witness accounts pointed to foul play.

Court documents say the disappearance was tied to a drug transaction that allegedly went wrong. Prosecutors alleged Dalton Dukes bought what he thought was methamphetamine from Hellman, discovered it was fake, then tracked Hellman to a home in the 3900 block of Fort Street in Omaha. Witnesses reported hearing a single gunshot and later saw Dukes leaving the house carrying what they believed to be a body. Authorities say Dukes subsequently drove to a campground in Iowa and submerged a vehicle believed to contain Hellman in the Missouri River. Hellman’s body has never been recovered; Dukes was charged in February 2020 and later sentenced.

Is anyone in the Omaha or Council Bluffs area able to add details about Hellman’s last known movements or the Fort Street residence?