On January 16, 1977, two hikers braved Pennsylvania’s extreme cold and made a discovery that would begin one of the state’s most enigmatic unsolved mysteries.
In a cave hidden beneath the Pinnacle, lay the frozen body of a person who would be dubbed “The Pinnacle Man.” Now, after a stroke of luck and perseverance by one detective, this unforgettable case took an unexpected turn.
The day after the discovery, an autopsy was performed on the body at Reading Hospital. The man was between 25 and 35 years old, with red hair and blue eyes, weighed 70 kilograms and was 1.78 metres tall. However, he was not carrying any documents and his clothing did not provide any further clues.
The cause of death, according to the diagnosis, was a drug overdose, specifically of Phenobarbital and Pentobarbital, these were used as sedatives and anticonvulsants; the case was concluded as suicide.
The unexpected discovery of the “Man of the Pinnacle”
For 42 yearsthe case known as “The Man at the Pinnacle” remained in a hidden corner of the police archives, with no signs of being solved. After several technological advances revolutionized criminology, fingerprints and dental records were taken during the initial autopsy, but the prints were lost and the copies were too poor to be of any use.
In 2019, the case was reviewed and it was decided to exhume the body to perform a new forensic examination and take DNA samples. These samples were shown in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS), but did not match any of the open cases.
The big breakthrough in the case came this week, the detective Ian Keck, Pennsylvania State Police decided to go through old files trying to find some forgotten clue and discovered the original fingerprint card taken during the 1977 autopsy.
Keck sent the card to NamUs, they forwarded it to a FBI expert analystIn less than an hour, the specialist got a match; the fingerprints belonged to Nicholas Paul Grubba 27-year-old man from Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Grubb was reported missing, but his fate had been unknown.
According to records, Grubb had served in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in the early 1970s and spent time in Colorado; in 1975 he had an interaction with police in Colorado, where he was fingerprinted; It is unclear why he decided to travel to the Pinnacle in the middle of winter, Authorities found signs that he had tried to light a fire in the cave, but ultimately failed to save his life.
Although all of his immediate family members have since died, one relative was located and confirmed Grubb’s identity; he thanked the Berks County Coroner and state police for their work in locating him.
Grubb’s remains were moved from the mass grave in Berks County to the family plot; Detective Ian Keck, who played a crucial role in the case, expressed hope that Grubb’s identification would lead paz to his family. “I hope this brings you some comfort, even though the circumstances are tragic.”.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Nicholas Grubb’s death remains open, with the hope that one day, all the mysteries will be revealed.
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