Mystery of ‘Pinnacle Man’ found frozen in a cave solved after nearly five decades
By Graham Hurley, CNN
(CNN) — A man found frozen in a Pennsylvania cave in 1977 has finally been identified, closing the book on a nearly 50-year-long mystery.
The Berks County Coroner’s Office identified the remains of the missing man as Nicholas Paul Grubb, 27, from Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.
Surprisingly, advanced technology played no role in identifying the “Pinnacle Man,” a moniker inspired by the peak in the Appalachian Mountains near where Grubb was found.
Instead, Berks County Coroner John Fielding told reporters at a Tuesday news conference that a Pennsylvania State Police detective discovered the missing link to the cold case the old-fashioned way, by digging through files.
Hikers find ‘Pinnacle Man’
On January 16, 1977, hikers found a man’s frozen body in a cave just below the Pinnacle, in Albany Township, the Berks County Coroner said at the news conference.
During the autopsy he was unable to be identified based on his appearance, clothing or belongings, according to George Holmes, chief deputy coroner of Berks County. The cause of death, according to Holmes, was determined to be a drug-induced overdose. There were no signs of trauma to Grubb’s body suggesting foul play, the coroner’s office said.
Dental records and fingerprints were collected from the man’s body during his autopsy, according to Holmes, who added that the fingerprints were misplaced.
A break in the case
More than 42 years passed before authorities revisited the cold case, according to CNN affiliate WFMZ, which reported Grubb’s body was exhumed in 2019 after dental records linked him to two missing person cases in Florida and Illinois.
Berks County forensic experts performed an exam in 2019, and DNA samples were taken to update his record in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs. But they did not match the two missing person cases, the coroner’s office said.
Fast-forward to early August, when there was a major break in the cold case. Ian Keck of the Pennsylvania State Police found the lost fingerprint card from Grubb’s 1977 autopsy.
Keck submitted the fingerprint card to NamUs on August 12, according to Holmes, and within an hour an FBI fingerprint expert matched the Pinnacle Man’s fingerprints to Grubb’s.
One of Grubb’s family members was notified by the Berks County Coroner’s Office, who confirmed Grubb’s identity. The family member asked the office to place his remains in the family plot.
“This identification brings a long awaited resolution to his family, who have been notified and expressed their deep appreciation for the collective efforts that made it possible. 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 said.
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