Newsflash • CCSO Detectives and Team Identify 1975 Human Re

Flagstaff, AZ – The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, working with Intermountain Forensics, the FBI’s Latent Print Unit and the Coconino County Office of the Medical Examiner, successfully identified remains found 49 years ago as Gerald Francis Long, a Vietnam veteran originally from Minnesota.

Long’s skeletal remains were discovered on April 19^eIn 1975, farmers chasing a runaway pig found them off Meteor City Road, 40 miles east of Flagstaff. For 49 years, attempts to positively identify the remains were unsuccessful.

The victim became known as Munsingwear Doe, named after a Munsingwear brand jacket that was found with the remains. Multiple detectives and cold case volunteers have developed numerous leads over the years, but none resulted in a positive identification.

In August 2023, CCSO contracted with Intermountain Forensics of Salt Lake City, UT to identify Munsingwear Doe through the forensic genetic genealogy process. A DNA profile was developed and compared with existing profiles in available genealogical databases. Intermountain Forensics investigators were able to identify a family lineage and by February 2024, they had identified Gerald Long as a potential match.

CCSO detectives contacted a surviving family member who identified himself Long as a US Army veteran who served in Vietnam. Detectives learned that Long enlisted in the U.S. Army in January 1969 and was deployed to Vietnam later that year. Long returned to Minnesota in February 1972 and was discharged from the U.S. Army a month later. In October 1972, Long told his family he was leaving Minnesota and heading to the West Coast. This was the last time family members saw or heard from Long.

Using this information, the FBI Laboratory’s Latent Print Unit was able to compare partial fingerprints from the remains collected in 1975 with known fingerprints of Gerald Long. This comparison was a positive match and was the first verifiable information about the identity of Munsingwear Doe.

Long’s family subsequently provided a DNA sample for direct comparison to the collected remains, and in May 2024, Intermountain Forensics scientists confirmed through family DNA comparison that Munsingwear Doe was Gerald F Long.

Long’s cause of death was not determined in 1975 and remains unknown.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Intermountain Forensics, the FBI’s Latent Print Unit and the Coconino Office of the Medical Examiner for their dedication and efforts in identifying Gerlad F Long.

The Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to Mr. Long’s family, who have requested privacy at this time.