Officials in Pennsylvania have identified human remains in a cave that was used by hikers roughly half a century ago along the Appalachian Trail.
According to Fox News, it was actually hikers who discovered the remains of a man in a cave near "The Pinnacle." Berks County Coroner John A. Fielding III told reporters the deceased was said to have disappeared on the trail on January 16th, 1977. Fielding continued to mention that the identification of those remains comes after 47 long years of mystery. But, after the "unyielding determination of federal, state, and local agencies," the man has been identified as Nicholas Grubb. Grubb was 27 years old when he died, according to Fielding. Grubb was also said to have been from Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.
According to Fox 29 in Philadelphia, it is believed that Grubb took his own life in the cave. The Berks County Coroner's Office had discovered that Grubb overdosed on Phenobarbital and Pentobarbital.
47 Years Later, Hiker's Remains Identified After Apparent Suicide in Pennsylvania Cave
Over the years, many stops have been pulled out in an effort to identify the body which is now known by that of Grubbs. For the last 15 years, investigators have used fingerprints and dental X-rays to compare the remains of 10 different people. Moreover, in 2019, the remains were exhumed from a cemetery to conduct genealogical analysis. Albeit, after four years, investigators were still out of luck. Likewise, facial approximations had failed, due to missing and broken facial bones.
Finally, the original fingerprint card was submitted to the national database for missing unidentified and unclaimed remains. After the submission, an FBI expert had determined a match within 1 hour. Thus, making for a quick end to what had been a long journey to identifying Grubbs.
In the time that has since passed, much more has been learned about who Grubbs was. His family was alerted of his identification. It was even discovered that Grubbs served in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in the early 1970s.
It is a bit odd, to learn who a man was some 47 years after his suicide in a cave. But, with modern technology, and some help from federal intelligence agencies, it seems anything may be possible today.
