Latest Cold case in the USA: body identified after 47 years
Almost 50 years after the discovery of the frozen body of a man in a mountain cave in the north-east of the USA, forensic experts have been able to identify the deceased. It is 27-year-old Nicolas Paul Grubb from Fort Washington in the state of Pennsylvania, the coroner's office announced. "This identification brings the long-awaited clarification to the family," said chief forensic pathologist John Fielding.
04.09.2024, 14:25
SDA
Hikers had discovered the body in January 1977 in a cave on the famous Appalachian Trail. According to the police, the dead man was far too lightly clothed for the cold season. An autopsy determined at the time that the man had died of a drug overdose and that there had been no external cause.
Years of mystery surrounding the "Pinnacle Man"
However, he could not be identified and the case became an unsolved cold case. As the discovery site was located in the Berks district near the Pinnacle mountain peak, there has been talk of the "Pinnacle Man" mystery ever since.
In 2019, the remains were even exhumed because a trail seemed to lead to two missing persons cases. DNA samples were taken at the time - but were unsuccessful. Attempts to reconstruct the man's face as a drawing using modern technology also failed.
A few days ago, the coroner's office announced that the persistence of one investigator ultimately led to success: the officer recently found the file with the man's original fingerprints, which had been considered lost for decades, among piles of old files.
The police only had copies, but according to the investigators, these were not sufficient for a comparison. The prints were fed into the database of missing persons - and in less than an hour Grubb was identified. "That was good, old-fashioned police work," said a spokesman for the coroner's office.
Investigations continue nonetheless
It turned out that the 27-year-old had served in the National Guard for a time. However, much remains a mystery - including the exact circumstances of his death. Investigators at the time believed it was a drug-related suicide, but today's forensic experts doubt this, as the deputy chief of the Berks County Coroner's Office told the "Washington Post" (Wednesday edition). The investigation into the case is therefore continuing.
