ALTAMONT — Ross Herzog’s family cherishes their memories of him as they continue to mourn three months after his death. He had died at age 30 on a wooded trail near Altamont.

“The man was brilliant. He was a genius,” said his father, James Herzog.

“He was a mechanical engineer,” said his mother, Elise Herzog.

His talents were recognized early. His senior year of Guilderland High School, Ross Herzog placed first in New York State in a computer-aided drafting and mechanics competition, said his mother, and he went on to a national competition in Kansas City.  

“He got a huge trophy,” said his mother. “He was so smart, a lot of times it was way over my head.”

He went on to the New England Institute of Technology in Rhode Island, she said, where he studied for two years before returning home.

At the time of his death, he was working for his father at Jim Herzog’s Towing.

“He liked helping his father out,” said Mrs. Herzog.

This is the second death of a child the Herzog family has suffered. Their daughter, Melissa, was one of two teens killed in 2000 in a car crash on Hurst Road; a bronze angel statue in Altamont memorializes the deaths.

Melissa and Ross were close, said their mother. They took martial-arts lessons together, and Ross earned a brown belt. Melissa stopped when she had learned enough to protect herself, Mrs. Herzog said.

“He didn’t talk about her death a lot; he kept it in,” said Mrs. Herzog.

Ross also liked EMX bike racing, his mother said.

At the same time that he enjoyed such activities, she said, he was also “very gentle, very caring.”

In recent years, Ross Herzog had twice battled Lyme disease with its recurring symptoms, his mother said.

Speaking of her son’s gentle ways, Mrs. Herzog said through tears, “He stayed with his grandmother so he could help her out when she needed extra care.”

His grandmother is having a particularly hard time with his death, she said.  Mrs. Herzog said she is able to carry on by thinking of the people who depend on her, like her grandchildren.

“We are all heartbroken,” she said.

“No drugs were present”

Jeffrey Hubbard, a doctor who works for the Albany County Coroner’s Office, called The Enterprise recently to say he had gotten the toxicology report following the August death of Herzog.

His body had been found on a private trail on the shoulder of the Helderberg escarpment above the village.

The chemical analysis showed “no drugs were present” in Herzog’s body, said Hubbard. His autopsy had showed “he was dehydrated and massively malnourished,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard, who had issued the death certificate, said, “The manner of death remains natural.” The cause of death was malnutrition.

Altamont Police Officer Robert Traina had been the first on the scene. Traina said he felt especially bad for Herzog’s family. A martial arts instructor, Traina had years ago taught Herzog’s sister, Melissa.

The body had been there “less than 24 hours,” said Traina. “He was covered up and brought down.” An all-terrain vehicle was used to transport the body out of the woods.

The body was taken to Albany Medical Center. An autopsy was conducted on Saturday, Aug. 27, which showed that Herzog died because of “medical issues,” said Guilderland’s assistant police chief, Curtis Cox.

Cox also said at the time, “Anytime there’s something like this, we do a thorough investigation,” said Cox. “There were no signs of foul play.”