Man found frozen in cave along Appalachian Trail identified after nearly 50 years

Nearly half a century after a man was found frozen in a cave along the Appalachian Trail, Pennsylvania officials have identified the "Pinnacle Man."

Officials with the Berks County Coroner's Office last week named the man as Nicolas Paul Grubb, a 27-year-old from Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, who served as a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in the early 1970s.

Grubb's body was found on Jan. 16, 1977, by a pair of hikers near the Pinnacle, a local peak of the Blue Mountain ridge known for its sweeping vistas. The Pinnacle is about 65 northwest of Grubb's hometown and he had died at least a few days before he was discovered.

A sketch of Grubb's face was completed and, during an autopsy at the time, officials labeled his death drug-overdose suicide. Authorities collected the nameless man's fingerprints and buried him in Berks County in southeast Pennsylvania.

For more than forty years, little came in the way of developments.

"The man remained unidentified – a nameless figure in a long forgotten case," said Berks County Coroner John A. Fielding III at a news conference.

DNA samples, genealogical tests led nowhere

Within the last five years, local authorities worked with state and federal officials in a renewed push to resolve the cold case. In 2019, officials exhumed Grubb's body for DNA samples – all of which came back inconclusive. The following year, the officials decided to try genealogical testing and contacted a company specializing in DNA extraction. But again, the tests yielded no results.

In another attempt to crack open the case, investigators requested that a new sketch be drawn up of the "Pinnacle Man." However, when the coroner's office examined the remains, the skull was not intact, making a facial reconstruction impossible. With no viable options remaining, it seemed the mystery would never be solved.

"We were very disappointed," said George Holmes, chief deputy of the Berks County Coroner’s Office at a news conference.

'Old fashion police work' leads to break in the cold case

In August, however, investigators finally caught a break, one that was not obtained through cutting edge forensic technology as authorities had anticipated.

A trooper with the Pennsylvania State Police had discovered the original fingerprints taken after Grubb was found. For decades, they had been lost in stacks of paperwork and case evidence. The fingerprints were essential because, unlike the copies authorities had, the originals contained the ridge detail necessary for a result. In under an hour, a fingerprint analyst with the FBI linked the unique grooves to fingerprints taken by police who had arrested Grubb in Colorado in 1975.

Speaking about what led to the case's resolution, Holmes said "it was good, old fashion police work."

Soon the coroner's office and the police department were able to locate one family member of Grubb's, who confirmed his identify and provided officials with paperwork and photographs.

"It's 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 told reporters last week.

Questions remain about Grubb's life and death

The case remains open as investigators work to track down more about Grubb, including a finer picture of his life's story and what led him into the cave where he was found dead.

Holmes said there was no indication of foul play and that Grubb was in a rocky areas that was "not easy" to access.

"It was definitely a place he sought shelter at the time," said Holmes, adding that Grubb was dressed in "light" clothing and had attempted to start a fire.

"That's all we really know from the scene," he said, "so the rest of it is still a question mark for us."