COCONINO COUNTY, Ariz. — Human remains found 40 miles east of Flagstaff in 1975 have recently been identified as belonging to a Vietnam War veteran.
The Coconino County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that genetic genealogy testing helped to connect the skeletal remains to Gerald F. Long, who served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
After Long was discharged in 1972, he returned home to Minnesota and told his family he was leaving to move to the West Coast. His family never heard from Long again.
The human remains were found in April 1975 by farmers who were chasing after a loose pig near Meteor City Road, the sheriff's office said.
Multiple detectives and cold case volunteers tried to identify the remains in the ensuing years but failed to make a positive identification. Forensic technology helped to create a DNA profile that was used to establish a family line for the deceased.
Long's family provided a DNA sample that was used to confirm the remains as belonging to the military service member.
It is still unknown how Long died.
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What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
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- Avondale
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- Goodyear
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Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
