After nearly 50 years, a man whose body was discovered frozen in a Pennsylvania cave in 1977 has been identified as Nicholas Paul Grubb, a 27-year-old from Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, according to reports.
The Berks County Coroner’s Office confirmed that the previously unidentified “Pinnacle Man” was Grubb, thanks to the diligent efforts of a Pennsylvania state trooper who matched his fingerprints to those of Grubb.
The remains were found in a cave beneath the Pinnacle, a popular hiking location in Albany Township, approximately 75 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
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The identification concludes a decades-long mystery that involved multiple unsuccessful attempts to determine the identity of the remains. In 2019, the body was exhumed for DNA extraction, but those attempts were not fruitful.
The initial autopsy revealed that Grubb’s death was due to a drug overdose, and police have ruled out foul play. Despite taking dental records and fingerprints at the time, no match was made until August of this year, when Grubb’s fingerprints were entered into NamUs, a national missing persons database. The FBI managed to identify him within an hour.
“This identification brings a long-awaited resolution to his family,” said John Fielding, the Berks County Coroner, in a news conference.
“It is 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 added.
Grubb, known as “Nicky” to his family, had served in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and was honorably discharged in 1971. The coroner’s office noted that his family was “very appreciative” of the efforts to identify him.
While this breakthrough resolves the identity issue, officials have acknowledged that questions remain about Grubb’s final days, and the investigation is ongoing.
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