‘Pinnacle Man’, Who Was Found Frozen To Death In Pennsylvania Cave 50 Years Ago, Has Been Identified

Nicholas Paul Grubb, 27, was found frozen to death inside a Pennsylvania cave near the Appalachian mountains 50 years ago. Cops identified him this week. (Image: Berks County Coroner's Office)

Nicholas Paul Grubb died aged 27 from a possible drug overdose inside a cave near the Appalachian mountains.

The body of a man found frozen in a small Pennsylvania cave nearly 50 years ago has finally been identified.

The remains of Nicholas Paul Grubb, 27, of Fort Washington, were discovered in January 1977 by two hikers who had ducked inside the cave to escape some inclement weather. Grubb has long been known as the “Pinnacle Man,” a reference to the Appalachian mountain peak near where his body was found.

An autopsy at the time found no signs of foul play and determined that he died from a drug overdose. Authorities, though, could not identify Grubb’s body from his appearance, belongings, clothing or dental information.

Fingerprints were collected during his autopsy but somehow were misplaced, according to the Berks County Coroner’s Office.

Detectives from the state police and investigators with the coroner’s office had periodically revisited the case over the past 15 years and Grubb’s body was exhumed in August 2019 after dental records linked him to two missing person cases in Florida and Illinois.

DNA samples did not match in either case, but a break came last month when a Pennsylvania state trooper found Grubb’s missing fingerprints.

Within an hour of submitting the card to the Missing and Unidentified Persons System, a FBI fingerprint expert matched them to Grubb.

A relative of Grubb was notified of the discovery and family members asked the coroner’s office to place his remains in a family plot.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - Associated Press)