The remains of a man discovered frozen in a small Pennsylvania cave nearly 50 years ago have been identified as Nicholas Paul Grubb, 27, from Fort Washington. His body was found in January 1977 by two hikers seeking shelter from bad weather. He was long referred to as the “Pinnacle Man,” named after the Appalachian mountain peak near the cave.
An autopsy at the time revealed no signs of foul play, concluding that Grubb died from a drug overdose. However, authorities were unable to identify him based on his appearance, belongings, clothing, or dental records. Fingerprints taken during the autopsy were later misplaced, according to the Berks County Coroner’s Office.
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Over the past 15 years, detectives and coroner’s office investigators revisited the case. In August 2019, Grubb’s body was exhumed after dental records suggested a connection to two missing persons cases in Florida and Illinois, though DNA tests didn’t confirm a match.
The breakthrough came last month when a state trooper found Grubb’s missing fingerprints. Within an hour of submitting them to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, an FBI expert identified them as Grubb’s. His family has been informed, and they requested that his remains be placed in a family burial plot.
