‘Frozen’ man, unidentified since 1977, to be buried in family plot; here’s how FBI solved it

A mystery that had persisted for almost five decades was solved when Pennsylvania authorities identified a man frozen in a cave in 1977. The Berks County Coroner’s Office confirmed the man was Nicholas Paul Grubb, a 27-year-old from Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.

Contrary to what one might expect, modern technology didn't achieve this identification. Berks County Coroner John Fielding explained during a news conference that the breakthrough came when a Pennsylvania State Police detective, using traditional investigative methods, uncovered a crucial detail by going through old records, CNN reported.

Who is the ‘Pinnacle Man’?

Hikers discovered the frozen body of a man in a cave near the Pinnacle in Albany Township in January 1977. At a news conference, the Berks County Coroner reported that the man couldn’t be identified from his looks, clothes or possessions.

Chief Deputy Coroner George Holmes explained that an overdose of drugs was determined as the cause of death, with no indications of any foul play. Holmes mentioned that dental records and fingerprints were collected although the fingerprints were later lost.

How was the case solved?

Officials took a new look at it over four decades after the case went cold. In 2019, the body of Grubb was dug up after dental records connected him to missing person cases in Florida and Illinois.

Forensic experts in Berks County then examined the body and collected DNA samples to update Grubb’s information in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). However, these samples didn’t match the missing persons cases, as the coroner's office reported.

The case took a significant turn in early August. Ian Keck from the Pennsylvania State Police discovered an old fingerprint card from Grubb’s 1977 autopsy. On August 12, this card was sent to NamUs. Within an hour, an FBI expert matched the fingerprints to Grubb’s.

The Berks County Coroner’s Office informed one of Grubb’s relatives, who then requested that his remains be buried in the family plot.