COCONINO COUNTY, AZ — Coconino County Sheriff's Office detectives, in partnership with other agencies, announced Wednesday that remains found in 1975 have since been identified.
Officials say that skeletal remains were found on April 19, 1975, by farmers chasing a runaway pig near Meteor City Road, about 17 miles west of Winslow, Arizona.
After 49 years, the remains have been identified as Gerald Francis Long, a Vietnam veteran originally from Minnesota.
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In August 2023, CCSO contracted a company in Salt Lake City, Utah, to assist in identifying the remains. A family line was found and identified Long as a potential match in February 2024.
Family contacted by CCSO said Long was a U.S. Army veteran from Minnesota who had served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1972. In October 1972, Long told his family that he was heading to the west coast. That was the last time that family members had heard from Long.
Family provided a DNA sample to compare to the remains, and in May 2024, Long's identity was confirmed.
The cause of Long's death is still unknown.
