Authorities said on Wednesday that the human remains discovered in the Flagstaff area almost 50 years ago have been identified as those of a Minnesota-born Vietnam soldier.
Gerald Francis Long’s remains have been identified, according to Coconino County Sheriff’s officials, however the cause of death is unknown.
Farmers pursuing a fugitive pig in April 1975 came across the skeleton remains of Long some 40 miles east of Flagstaff. Over the years, there have been many leads, but none have produced a positive identification.
Sheriff’s officials and a Salt Lake City business entered into an agreement in August 2023 for the identification of the remains using forensic genetic genealogy.
Read Also: NYC Woman’s Remains Found in Apartment Bathtub: Ex-Boyfriend Charged
After identifying Long at the beginning of the year, sheriff’s detectives got in touch with one of his surviving relatives.
It was discovered by the detectives that Long joined the Army in January 1969 and was sent to Vietnam in the same year. In February 1972, he went back to Minnesota and was released after a month.
Long informed his family in October 1972 that he was moving out of Minnesota and toward the West Coast. Their final memory of him was at that moment.
