Current:Home > InvestMan found frozen in cave along Appalachian Trail identified after nearly 50 years-LoTradeCoin
Man found frozen in cave along Appalachian Trail identified after nearly 50 years
View Date:2024-12-23 18:35:37
Nearly half a century after a man was found frozen in a cave along the Appalachian Trail, Pennsylvania officials have identified the "Pinnacle Man."
Officials with the Berks County Coroner's Office last week named the man as Nicolas Paul Grubb, a 27-year-old from Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, who served as a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in the early 1970s.
Grubb's body was found on Jan. 16, 1977, by a pair of hikers near the Pinnacle, a local peak of the Blue Mountain ridge known for its sweeping vistas. The Pinnacle is about 65 northwest of Grubb's hometown and he had died at least a few days before he was discovered.
A sketch of Grubb's face was completed and, during an autopsy at the time, officials labeled his death drug-overdose suicide. Authorities collected the nameless man's fingerprints and buried him in Berks County in southeast Pennsylvania.
For more than forty years, little came in the way of developments.
"The man remained unidentified – a nameless figure in a long forgotten case," said Berks County Coroner John A. Fielding III at a news conference.
DNA samples, genealogical tests led nowhere
Within the last five years, local authorities worked with state and federal officials in a renewed push to resolve the cold case. In 2019, officials exhumed Grubb's body for DNA samples – all of which came back inconclusive. The following year, the officials decided to try genealogical testing and contacted a company specializing in DNA extraction. But again, the tests yielded no results.
In another attempt to crack open the case, investigators requested that a new sketch be drawn up of the "Pinnacle Man." However, when the coroner's office examined the remains, the skull was not intact, making a facial reconstruction impossible. With no viable options remaining, it seemed the mystery would never be solved.
"We were very disappointed," said George Holmes, chief deputy of the Berks County Coroner’s Office at a news conference.
'Old fashion police work' leads to break in the cold case
In August, however, investigators finally caught a break, one that was not obtained through cutting edge forensic technology as authorities had anticipated.
A trooper with the Pennsylvania State Police had discovered the original fingerprints taken after Grubb was found. For decades, they had been lost in stacks of paperwork and case evidence. The fingerprints were essential because, unlike the copies authorities had, the originals contained the ridge detail necessary for a result. In under an hour, a fingerprint analyst with the FBI linked the unique grooves to fingerprints taken by police who had arrested Grubb in Colorado in 1975.
Speaking about what led to the case's resolution, Holmes said "it was good, old fashion police work."
Soon the coroner's office and the police department were able to locate one family member of Grubb's, who confirmed his identify and provided officials with paperwork and photographs.
"It's moments like these that remind us of the importance of our work to provide answers, to bring closure and to give the unidentified a name and a story," Fielding told reporters last week.
Questions remain about Grubb's life and death
The case remains open as investigators work to track down more about Grubb, including a finer picture of his life's story and what led him into the cave where he was found dead.
Holmes said there was no indication of foul play and that Grubb was in a rocky areas that was "not easy" to access.
"It was definitely a place he sought shelter at the time," said Holmes, adding that Grubb was dressed in "light" clothing and had attempted to start a fire.
"That's all we really know from the scene," he said, "so the rest of it is still a question mark for us."
veryGood! (5158)
Related
- Jury awards Abu Ghraib detainees $42 million, holds contractor responsible
- EU officials urge Bosnia to press ahead with reform in order to start accession negotiations
- See the full list of Oscar nominations for 2024 Academy Awards
- A man diagnosed with schizophrenia awaits sentencing after fatally stabbing 3 in the UK last year
- Disruptions to Amtrak service continue after fire near tracks in New York City
- Lily Gladstone, first Native American actress nominee, travels to Osage country to honor Oscar nod
- America is hitting peak 65 in 2024 as record number of boomers reach retirement age. Here's what to know.
- Country singer Chris Young arrested at Nashville bar, charged with assault, disorderly conduct
- The Army’s answer to a lack of recruits is a prep course to boost low scores. It’s working
- Will the Doomsday Clock tick closer to catastrophe? We find out today
Ranking
- Jennifer Lopez Gets Loud in Her First Onstage Appearance Amid Ben Affleck Divorce
- Powerball jackpot at $145 million after January 22 drawing; See winning numbers
- These are the worst cities in America for bedbugs, according to pest control company Orkin
- Emily Blunt, America Ferrera and More Can Officially Call Themselves First-Time Oscar Nominees
- Trump hammered Democrats on transgender issues. Now the party is at odds on a response
- Adored Benito the giraffe moved in Mexico to a climate much better-suited for him
- To parents of kids with anxiety: Here's what we wish you knew
- Milwaukee Bucks fire first-year head coach Adrian Griffin after 43 games
Recommendation
-
Jury awards Abu Ghraib detainees $42 million, holds contractor responsible
-
Bill would revise Tennessee’s decades-old law targeting HIV-positive people convicted of sex work
-
Bill would revise Tennessee’s decades-old law targeting HIV-positive people convicted of sex work
-
24 Things From Goop's $113,012 Valentine's Day Gift Guide We'd Actually Buy
-
2025 NFL Draft order: Updated first round picks after Week 10 games
-
Former Georgia bulldog mascot Uga X dies with 2 national championships during his term
-
Massachusetts governor praises Navy SEAL who died trying to save fellow SEAL during a mission
-
'Fashion icons': Cheesecake Factory compares Travis Kelce's Buffalo outfit to takeout bag