BATH, NY — Two people have been arrested following a lengthy investigation into the suspicious death of a 61-year-old man in the Village of Bath.
Zachariah E. Cole, 34, and Heather L. Baker, 37, were taken into custody March 16, 2026, according to the Village of Bath Police Department.
Police were dispatched to a residence on West Washington Street at approximately 5:54 p.m. Feb. 6, 2026, for a report of an unresponsive man.
Law enforcement and EMS personnel determined the victim was deceased upon arrival, and a death investigation was initiated.
Investigators determined Baker and Cole delayed calling emergency services and instead tampered with physical evidence by cleaning the scene and removing evidence before calling for help, according to police.
The two then impeded the investigation by filing false statements with law enforcement in an attempt to conceal that a crime had been committed, police said.
Baker and Cole were also found to have provided the victim methamphetamine, which was determined to have been contributory to his death.
Both were charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, a class D felony, tampering with physical evidence, a class E felony, and falsifying business records in the first degree, a class E felony.
Baker and Cole were arraigned in Steuben County CAP Court within the Steuben County Jail, where they both remain held without the opportunity for bail.
