Frozen Body Found on Appalachian Trail in 1970s Identified After 47 Years

A man whose body was found frozen in a cave off the Appalachian Trail almost 50 years ago has finally been identified, according to Berks County, Pennsylvania officials.

Hikers found the body in January 1977 in a cave below the Pinnacle, a popular AT viewpoint at current northbound mile marker 1230, just north of Port Clinton, Pennsylvania.

Efforts to identify the man proved fruitless, and over the years he became known simply as “Pinnacle Man.” A 1977 autopsy indicated he had overdosed on Phenobarbital and Pentobarbital. The Coroner’s Office listed suicide as the cause of death.

“For 47 years, this man remained unidentified, a nameless figure in a long-forgotten case,” said Berks County coroner John A. Fielding III in a press conference. “But today, I am honored to announce that through the unyielding determination of federal, state, and local agencies, the Berks County Coroner’s Office has confirmed the identity of this individual. His name is Nicolas Paul Grubb, a 27-year-old man from Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.”

One of the biggest obstacles to identifying Grubb — a former Pennsylvania National Guardsman — was that the original, high-quality copy of his fingerprints had gone missing, and subsequent copies were too low-quality to use for identification.

A Pennsylvania state trooper finally located the original fingerprints this month. Upon receiving them, an FBI fingerprint expert identified Grubb in under one hour on August 12.

The Berks County Coroner’s Office is working to move Grubb’s remains to his family’s plot.

“There is no greater closure than to give a name to those who can not tell their own story and to make sure they find their way back home to their loved ones,” said the Coroner’s Office in a statement on Facebook.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Featured image: A family photo of Grubb via Berks County Coroner’s Office.