Human bones unearthed 49 years ago near Flagstaff, Arizona, have been identified as those of a Vietnam veteran originally from Minnesota, authorities said Wednesday.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a news release that the remains were those of Gerald Francis Long. According to the announcement, Long’s cause of death was not determined in 1975 and remains unknown now.
The skeleton remains were discovered on April 19, 1975, near Meteor City Road, some 40 miles east of Flagstaff, as farmers were chasing a runaway pig, according to officials.
The sheriff’s office collaborated with a Salt Lake City company to identify the remains using genetic genealogy
According to the sheriff’s office, multiple leads were explored since the remains were discovered, but none resulted in a confirmed identification.
The sheriff’s office collaborated with a Salt Lake City company in August to identify the remains using genetic genealogy, according to the release. The company’s technology was used to create a DNA profile for the remains, allowing specialists to trace a family line. In February, they considered the possibility that the remains were Long’s.
Sheriff’s detectives then found a living family member of Long, who informed them that Long enlisted in the Army in 1969 and was deployed to Vietnam the same year. Long returned to Minnesota in February 1972 and was discharged a month later, according to officials.
A family DNA sample taken last month proved that the remains belonged to Gerald Francis Long
According to the sheriff’s office, officials then compared partial fingerprints recovered from the remains in 1975 to other fingerprints on file for Long, resulting in a positive match. A family DNA sample taken last month proved that the remains belonged to Long.
Long informed his family in October 1972 that he would be leaving Minnesota for the West Coast, according to the release. That was the last time Long’s family saw or heard from him.
The sheriff’s office stated that his family has asked for privacy.