Frozen WW II Airman Remains Found
Hikers at Kings Canyon National Park made a shocking discovery last week.
The hikers discovered the remains of a 1940's airman last Wednesday, about a hundred feet from where another airman was found two years ago. Authorities said that they believe that both men were part of the same doomed training flight that crashed near Mount Mendel in 1942. The hikers caught sight of the remains in the Mendel Glacier when a undeployed parachute caught their eye. Next to it, they found a cadet's upper torso.
The find comes just two years after ice hikers found the remains of World War II Air Corps Cadet Leo Mustonen. Mustonen was found back in October of 2005, more than 50 years after he disappeared. Mustonen's training flight is said to have disappeared back on November 18th, 1942. Once pathologists were able to identify Mustonen's body, the cadet was given a proper burial.
The Fresno County Coroner is predicting the cause of death of the newly found body to be the same as Mustonen's, which was said to be multiple traumatic injuries suffered from an airplane crash. After the cause of death is determined, the remains will be shipped to Hawaii so that military forensic scientists can identify them. The identification process is expected to take several months.
Stay with KMPH and KMPH.com as we continue to follow this story.
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