Remains found in a cave near a Pennsylvania hiking trail nearly 50 years ago identified
Nicolas Grubb was found dead in a cave near the Appalachian Trail by two hikers in 1977.
PHILADELPHIA – Investigators in Pennsylvania have identified human remains found in a cave by hikers on the Appalachian Trail nearly 50 years ago.
Nicolas Paul Grubb was 27 years old when he overdosed on phenobarbital and pentobarbital in 1977, according to authorities. Investigators believe Grubb committed suicide, but authorities have not yet made a definitive statement on the cause of death.
Grubb’s body was found in January 1977 by two hikers in a cave near The Pinnacle on the Appalachian Trail and had not been identified until now.
Over the past 15 years, at least 10 people have been matched to Grubb using fingerprints and dental X-rays, investigators said. His remains were exhumed from Potter’s Field in Berks County in 2019, and a genealogical analysis four years later failed to reveal his identity, county coroners said.
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Before the latest breakthrough, investigators attempted to make a facial approximation, but upon exhumation found that the facial bones were broken or missing parts. After investigators submitted the original fingerprint card to the national database of missing, unidentified and unclaimed remains, an FBI expert made a match within an hour.
“This case demonstrates the difficulty of solving unsolved cases and the effort that goes into returning unidentified and unclaimed individuals to their loved ones,” the coroner’s office said. “The positive identification of (Grubb) is the culmination of efforts to identify him and locate his family.”
Nicolas “Nicky” Grubb, a resident of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, served in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard with Company C, 1/111th Infantry before being honorably discharged in 1971, according to officials.
