Hikers discovered the body in January 1977 in a cave on the famous Appalachian Trail. The dead man was far too lightly dressed for the cold season, police reported at the time. An autopsy at the time determined that the man had died of a drug overdose and that no third party had been at fault.
Years-long mystery surrounding the “Pinnacle Man”
However, he could not be identified and the case became an unsolved cold case. Since the location where the body was found was in Berks County near the Pinnacle mountain peak, the mystery of the “Pinnacle Man” has been talked about ever since.
In 2019, the remains were even exhumed because a clue seemed to lead to two missing persons cases. DNA samples were taken at the time – but were unsuccessful. The attempt to reconstruct the man’s face as a drawing using modern technology also failed.
The persistence of an investigator ultimately led to success, as the forensic medicine department announced a few days ago: Among stacks of old files, the officer recently found the file containing the man’s original fingerprints, which had been thought to be lost for decades.
The police only had copies, which investigators said were not sufficient for a comparison. The prints were entered into the missing persons database – and Grubb was identified in less than an hour. “That was good, old-fashioned police work,” said a spokesman for the coroner’s office.
Investigations continue nonetheless
It turned out that the 27-year-old had served in the National Guard for a while. Much remains a mystery, however – including the exact circumstances of his death. Investigators at the time believed it was a drug-related suicide, but today’s forensic scientists doubt that, as the deputy chief of the medical examiner’s office in Berks County told the Washington Post (Wednesday edition). The investigation into the case is therefore continuing.
