Update: Police have said the death was “accidental” and that while initial reports indicated the body was found in New Paltz, it was actually found close to the New Paltz town line in Esopus.
In Reddit and Facebook posts made hours ago, the niece of Peter H. Kaprelian — a Kingston man who recently went missing in New Paltz — revealed “He was found today deceased in the woods in New Paltz.”
“This is not the news anyone wanted to hear,” she wrote, “but it is closure nonetheless.”
Kaprelian was last seen on December 4, 2024, collecting donations for Salvation Army in front of the New Paltz Tops supermarket.
Earlier posts by his niece suggested he “went missing on foot”, and had been experiencing confusion lately. “We were working on getting him to doctors appointments to find out what was going on, and this might be a factor into his disappearance,” she wrote earlier.
“My family and I are endlessly grateful for the community spirit in Kingston, Saugerties, New Paltz and neighboring towns in the search for him,” she wrote today.
Police have yet to report or comment on the discovery.
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