Flagstaff, Arizona – The Coconino County Sheriff's Office, working with Intermountain Forensics, the FBI's Latent Fingerprint Unit and the Coconino County Coroner's Office, were able to successfully identify the body discovered 49 years ago as that of Gerald Francis Long, a Vietnam Veteran from Minnesota.

Long's remains were discovered on April 19th.^NumberThey were discovered off Meteor City Road, 40 miles east of Flagstaff, by a farmer chasing escaped pigs in 1975. For 49 years, efforts to positively identify the remains were fruitless.

The victim became known as Munsingwear Doe, named after a Munsingwear-brand jacket that was found with his body. Multiple detectives and cold case volunteers have developed numerous leads over the years but have never produced a positive identification.

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

CCSO detectives have been in contact with the family. Long was a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War. Investigators discovered 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 one month later. In October 1972, Long told his family he was leaving Minnesota for the West Coast. This was the last time the family saw or had any contact with Long.

Using this information, the FBI Laboratory's Latent Fingerprint Unit was able to compare the partial prints collected from the body to Gerald Long's known fingerprint records in 1975. This comparison was a positive match, providing the first proof of Munsingwear Doe's identity.

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

Long's cause of death was not discovered in 1975 and remains unknown to this day.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Intermountain Forensics, the FBI’s Latent Fingerprint Unit, and the Coconino Coroner’s Office for their efforts in identifying Jerad F. Long.

The Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to Mr. Long’s family, who ask that their privacy be respected at this time.