Joseph Haskell grew up in Collinsport , and like most men, got a job on the fishing boats at Collinsport Pier. Saving his money, he was able to buy a fishing boat of his own. Though it was in poor condition, he started work on restoring it. By 1991, he had made the boat quite attractive, and named it The Daphne after his girlfriend Daphne Collins. Joe was even comfortable enough in his relationship with Daphne to ignore the flirtations of her cousin Carolyn Stoddard when she returned to town.
But his peace was disturbed when Daphne was brutally attacked in her car. Keeping an extended vigil by her bedside, Joe was greatly relieved when she was well enough to move back to Collinwood, even under a doctor's care. The sheriff was concerned for her safety, however, as she was the only one who might identify her attacker, so Joe agreed to help stand guard over her. His late nights staying up with her must have taken their toll, however, for one night he fell asleep on guard duty. He must have blamed himself when he found her dead the next morning in the garden.
After Daphne's funeral, Joe broke down when David claimed to have seen Daphne alive. But his tears turned to outrage when Dr. Woodard seriously suggested she was killed by a vampire and had risen from the grave. Joe appeared not to take Woodard's warning that Daphne might come after him because of their relationship very seriously, but something must have raised some doubts. For Joe went to Daphne's tomb that night with the intent of opening it. But Daphne appeared before he could and bit him on the neck. Joe was found the next morning, barely conscious wandering through the cemetery. Taken to Collinwood and treated for blood loss by Julia Hoffman, he was still under Daphne's control. He couldn't resist her call, knocking out a deputy to go to her. The sheriff's men discovered them in the stables, Daphne draining poor Joe of his blood. Though he tried to protect her, Joe, restrained by Roger Collins, watched as Dr. Woodard put a stake through Daphne's heart.
Recuperating at Collinwood, Joe had nightmares for weeks after the ordeal. He even consider leaving Collinsport. He decided to stay, but his heartbreak at losing Daphne was always there. Carolyn, free from having to compete with Daphne, got more serious in her flirtations, and though Joe had difficulty responding to her, they started to date. It was the night of the big costume party at Collinwood that Joe noticed a change in Carolyn. She seemed distant and preoccupied. And he couldn't understand why she insisted on making him buy her an old apothecary set from the antique shop. Little did he know at that time that yet another of his girlfriends was under the vampire's influence.
Fully trusted by the Collins family, Joe joined the search when Phyllis Wicke, who appeared in Victoria Winters' place during the seance that sent her to 1790, disappeared. It was his concern for Phyllis that led him to the truth. Stopping Carolyn on the road one night to ask about Miss Wicke's condition, he discovered the now-familiar fang marks on her throat. Following her, he watched as Barnabas fed off her yet again. Searching the Old House the next morning, he found Barnabas' coffin in the basement and tried to destroy the vampire for good. He never got the chance. Julia Hoffman, possessed by the spirit of Angelique who wanted Barnabas to live and suffer, stabbed the would-be hero in the back. Joe Haskell's final resting place is an unmarked grave.
