US officials identify ‘Pinnacle Man’ almost five decades after he was found frozen in cave
Officials have identified the ‘Pinnacle Man’ almost five decades after his body was discovered frozen in a cave.
He has been named as 27-year-old Nicolas Grubb, from Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, according to Berks County Coroner’s Office.
On 16 January 1977, just below The Pinnacle, off the Appalachian Trail in Albany, Pennsylvania, two young hikers stumbled across a man’s body.
This summer, the ‘Pinnacle Man’ was identified as Nicolas Paul Grubb. Pic: Berks County Coroner’s Court
It was one of the town’s coldest months on record and the body was, according to newspaper reports at the time, frozen solid.
Despite initial efforts, the body was never claimed.
But, after 47 years, the individual found frozen in the cave has finally been identified.
However, it took authorities decades to reach this point.
Mr Grubb’s family is now reportedly trying to re-bury him in their family plot.
“For 47 years, this man remained unidentified. A nameless figure in a long-forgotten case,” Berks County coroner John Fielding III said during a news conference last week according to Sky News’ US partner NBC News.
He continued: “But today I’m honoured 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.”
John Doe
After discovering the body at the scenic outlook, authorities set about investigating how it ended up there.
But they found many of their questions remained unanswered, and Mr Grubb spent almost half a century as a John Doe.
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At the time of his death, Mr Grubb was described as between the ages of 25-35, having blue eyes and reddish curly long hair, standing between 5’10 and 5’11 (1.78m-1.80m), and weighing 155lbs (70kg).
An autopsy in 1977 concluded he died after taking his own life.
From this point, the case went cold with little to nothing in the way of leads for 47 years until this summer.
One key issue was that, while the ‘Pinnacle Man’s’ fingerprints were taken, the original set was lost and copies were too poor to use for identification.
Efforts to exhume and conduct a dental analysis of the remains in 2019 also proved unsuccessful.
It looked like authorities would never identify the body until in August, a Pennsylvania state trooper discovered the original fingerprints.
From this point, it only took an FBI expert less than an hour to match the prints to Mr Grubb, who had reportedly served as part of his state’s National Guard.
His family was contacted and confirmed his identity.
Children are among the fatalities in a mass shooting at a child’s birthday party in California.
Police said four people had died and 10 were wounded in the incident in Stockton, about 60 miles east of San Francisco.
Officers were called on Saturday to a banquet hall just before 6pm local time (2am UK time) and district attorney Ron Freitas said children were among the dead.
He said the attacker was still at large.
First responders walk through a parking lot near the scene of a mass shooting in Stockton, California. Pics: AP
“We can confirm at this time that approximately 14 individuals were struck by gunfire, and four victims have been confirmed deceased,” San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said on X.
The post said early indications suggest it could be a “targeted incident” but that information remains limited.
Police have so far not disclosed the attacker’s identity and the motive is unclear.
Stockton’s vice mayor Jason Lee confirmed on Facebook that the shooting on Lucile Avenue happened at a child’s birthday party.
Pics: AP
Mayor Christina Fugazzi also said that “families should be together instead of at the hospital, standing next to their loved one, praying that they survive”.
California governor Gavin Newsom’s office added that he had been briefed on the “horrific shooting”.
Venezuela has accused Donald Trump of a “colonial threat” after he said the airspace “above and surrounding” the country should be considered closed “in its entirety”.
Mr Trump made the declaration amid growing tensions with President Maduro – and as the US continues attacking boats it claims are carrying drugs from Venezuela.
He wrote on Truth Social: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
Air traffic above Venezuela on Saturday afternoon. Pic: FlightRadar24
Venezuela’s foreign affairs office called it a “colonial threat” and “illegal, and unjustified aggression”.
It accused the president of threatening “the sovereignty of the national airspace… and the full sovereignty of the Venezuelan state”.
President Trump’s words were part of a “permanent policy of aggression against our country” that breached international law and the UN Charter, it added.
The Pentagon and the White House have so far not given any additional detail on the president’s statement.
Mr Trump’s post comes after the American aviation regulator last week warned of a “potentially hazardous situation” over Venezuela due to a “worsening security situation”.
Nicolas Maduro is widely considered a dictator by the West. Pic: Reuters
The South American nation revoked operating rights for six major airlines that went on to suspend flights to the country.
Mr Trump warned a few days ago that land operations against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers would begin “very soon”.
Such a move would be a major escalation in Operation Southern Spear – the US naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific that’s so far attacked at least 21 vessels.
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Three killed as US strikes another alleged drug boat
Venezuela has said the attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder.
The US has released videos of boats being targeted, but hasn’t provided evidence – such as photos of their cargo – to support the smuggling claims.
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The Pentagon has sought to justify the strikes by labelling the drug gangs as “foreign terrorist organisations” – putting them on par with the likes of al Qaeda.
It claims the boats targeted are carrying drugs bound for the US, although Sky’s chief correspondent says the final destination is likely to be Europe and West Africa.
President Maduro has denied Mr Trump’s claims he is involved in the drugs trade himself and said his counterpart wants to oust him so he can install a more sympathetic government.
Venezuelan officials have also claimed Mr Trump’s true motivation is access to the country’s plentiful oil reserves.
Mr Maduro is widely considered a dictator who’s cheated elections and has been president since 2013.
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