A man who was found frozen in a Pennsylvania cave nearly five decades ago has been identified by officials as 27-year-old Nicolas Grubb from Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Grubb, a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in the early 1970s, was known as the 'Pinnacle Man' after his body was discovered by hikers near the Pinnacle, a popular peak along the Appalachian Trail on January 16, 1977.
The body, frozen solid due to record-low temperatures, showed no signs of foul play, and authorities ruled the death as a suicide from a drug overdose. Despite efforts to identify Grubb through dental records and fingerprints, the case remained unsolved for years.
In 2019, Grubb's body was exhumed, but initial attempts to match him with missing persons were unsuccessful. However, a breakthrough came in August this year when a lost fingerprint card from Grubb's autopsy was found in police archives and matched to his prints stored in the Automated Fingerprint Identification System.
After 40 years of searching, Grubb's family finally received closure when his identity was confirmed. The Berks County coroner's office contacted a relative who requested to bury Grubb's remains in the family plot.
Investigators are still looking into why Grubb was in the remote cave without proper gear or food. While foul play is not suspected, the case will remain open until all details are clarified.
The delay in identifying Grubb was attributed to the misplaced fingerprint record, sparking frustration among online commentators. Questions were raised about the handling of the case and the lack of connection between the unidentified body and Grubb's family for so long.
