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Transcript
0:00 · In October 2005, two backcountry ice climbers make their way to the base of the Mendel
0:07 · Glacier, just over 1000ft below the summit.
0:13 · A piece of fabric fluttering near a mound of rubble attracts their attention.
0:18 · As they get closer to the mound, they see something that they can't unsee.
0:26 · It's a corpse partially buried in the ice and snow.
0:32 · They can tell it's a male body.
0:34 · It's lying face down, Arms spread out.
0:41 · His head had been crushed.
0:43 · And when they got closer.
0:45 · They saw that he was even missing a leg.
0:48 · Over time, his face has become unrecognizable.
0:52 · But his head is still covered in thick, blond hair.
0:55 · The ice climbers wonder if this was once a hiker who met an unfortunate end.
1:01 · Who was this person?
1:04 · Then they see his knapsack and realize that it's not a knapsack, it's a parachute.
1:13 · On closer inspection, they see the words US Army Air Corps stenciled on the fabric.
1:21 · Us Army Air Corps is an old name.
1:24 · It's a forerunner of the US Air Force.
1:26 · But back then, before the attack on Pearl Harbor, it was called the US Army Air Corps.
1:32 · When the hikers brushed the snow off the body, it's confirmed his uniform is clearly
1:38 · from the Second World War.
1:40 · World War Two servicemen in California.
1:45 · That's strange.
1:47 · But we do know that top secret activities were carried out during World War Two all
1:51 · over the American West.
1:53 · Was this soldier involved in a mission that has never been revealed?
1:59 · The climbers alert local law enforcement to their bizarre discovery.
2:04 · Within days.
2:05 · A specialized military response team is on the scene.
2:10 · The first order of business in an investigation like this is obviously to get
2:14 · the remains back to the lab.
2:18 · Because they didn't want to damage the body and it was encased in ice.
2:22 · They ended up taking a block of ice with the body back to the lab.
2:27 · That's where forensic anthropologists will gently thaw him out by spraying him with
2:31 · water. They need to go slowly to minimize any damage to tissues.
2:38 · The forensic anthropologists, of course, begin to look through his personal effects.
2:43 · And they find a nameplate.
2:46 · But unfortunately, it's terribly corroded and unreadable.
2:50 · Investigators turned to the same tools employed at crime scenes.
2:54 · An ultraviolet light helps tease out faint details on the nameplate.
3:01 · Inscribed in the metal are the letters e o a m.
3:08 · They searched through the military records, but there's no names that match those
3:11 · letters.
3:14 · But the pockets of the dead man's uniform offer several clues.
3:20 · 11 coins.
3:22 · A fountain pen and a scrap of paper.
3:25 · What was written down on that note that he was carrying with him?
3:28 · Was he bringing some kind of secret message?
3:32 · This time they use a high resolution video spectral comparator.
3:36 · It's actually the same technology that the FBI uses to investigate suspicious documents.
3:42 · The comparator is able to decipher the faded words.
3:46 · Could it be coded classified information?
3:51 · Turned out to be a few lines from a limerick.
3:52 · And given the kind of songs and stories that lighten the mood for military members going
3:57 · off to war, you can imagine what kind of limerick it was.
4:01 · If he wasn't on a secret mission, why was he there?
4:08 · The skies over the Sierra Nevada were busy during the war years.
4:13 · Airmen were trained at several nearby bases.
4:16 · Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, aviation cadets often crash, and there were
4:22 · lots of crashes in that vicinity.
4:25 · Since World War Two, nearly 50 aircraft have been listed as missing in the area around
4:32 · Kings Canyon Park.
4:34 · Some of the planes in the backcountry have never been found.
4:37 · So how do you match this airman to his plane?
4:46 · The coins in the man's pockets may help narrow down the timeline.
4:51 · The most recent coin is from 1942.
4:54 · So obviously that was the earliest year he might have crashed.
4:59 · A search through the military archives for 1942 finally offers a clue.
5:06 · November 18th, 1942.
5:10 · Seven military aircraft took off from Mather Air Base outside of Sacramento on a training
5:14 · flight. Only six aircraft returned.
5:20 · These planes were Beech 87 seconds.
5:23 · Twin engine aircraft used for navigational training.
5:27 · Air Force recovery records show that two years after the end of the war in 1947, the
5:33 · wreck was found in the vicinity of where the airman's body was located.
5:39 · But something doesn't add up.
5:41 · Official documents already list a place of burial under a single headstone for the four
5:46 · man crew that was aboard.
5:49 · If the four men are already buried.
5:52 · Who is this fifth mystery man?
5:54 · The team then catches a break.
5:56 · They find the flight manifest of the airplane.
6:00 · One of the names on the manifest is Leo Mustonen, a 22 year old cadet from Minnesota.
6:09 · The letters of his name are close to the letters found on the corpse's ID tags, but
6:14 · they'll need more evidence to get a definite match.
6:17 · They turn to DNA analysis.
6:21 · The sample is mitochondrial DNA, a molecule that's passed from mother to son.
6:25 · And it's this kind of information that they need in order to make the identification of
6:29 · this airman.
6:30 · But when the team tracks down the Mustin family, they discover that there are no
6:35 · maternal relatives alive to provide a sample for comparison.
6:39 · But then the investigation team realizes that there's another way that DNA can help with
6:44 · this case. It's called process of elimination.
6:47 · Investigators trace the families of the other three airmen known to be on board the flight.
6:54 · Luckily, those families are able to provide DNA samples that can be compared to the DNA
7:00 · of the mystery airman.
7:03 · None of them is a match.
7:04 · So the investigators can conclude that these have to be the remains of Air cadet Leo
7:09 · Mustonen, who was only 22 years old when he died.
7:14 · The mystery of the Sierra Airmen's identity is solved.
7:20 · So what about that name tag?
7:23 · Why was there no match?
7:25 · Well, it turns out the investigation was thrown off by a misspelling.
7:29 · Leo Mustonen's middle name was Arvid Leo Mustonen, not Leo Mustonen.
7:38 · The report incorrectly reported his middle initial as M.
7:44 · But one thing still doesn't add up.
7:47 · The military said that there were four bodies in that grave.
7:50 · So who is the fourth body of Leo Mustonen was actually buried in the ice.
7:58 · It turned out that the military hadn't been entirely forthcoming about the burial, and
8:02 · the reasons are actually quite understandable.
8:04 · When the crash was discovered, no bodies were found to bury.
8:10 · But the military thought it'd be easier on the families if they had a grave, if they had
8:14 · a place to visit.
8:17 · And so they told them that the bodies were found, but just not identifiable.
8:21 · And they staged a mock burial in that grave.
8:27 · In 2007, two years after the discovery of Leo Mustonen's body.
8:32 · Searchers found the body of another crew member, Glen Munn.
8:39 · The other two crewmen are still out there resting in the Sierra Nevada.

Transcript
0:00	·	In October 2005, two backcountry ice climbers make their way to the base of the Mendel
0:07	·	Glacier, just over 1000ft below the summit.
0:13	·	A piece of fabric fluttering near a mound of rubble attracts their attention.
0:18	·	As they get closer to the mound, they see something that they can't unsee.
0:26	·	It's a corpse partially buried in the ice and snow.
0:32	·	They can tell it's a male body.
0:34	·	It's lying face down, Arms spread out.
0:41	·	His head had been crushed.
0:43	·	And when they got closer.
0:45	·	They saw that he was even missing a leg.
0:48	·	Over time, his face has become unrecognizable.
0:52	·	But his head is still covered in thick, blond hair.
0:55	·	The ice climbers wonder if this was once a hiker who met an unfortunate end.
1:01	·	Who was this person?
1:04	·	Then they see his knapsack and realize that it's not a knapsack, it's a parachute.
1:13	·	On closer inspection, they see the words US Army Air Corps stenciled on the fabric.
1:21	·	Us Army Air Corps is an old name.
1:24	·	It's a forerunner of the US Air Force.
1:26	·	But back then, before the attack on Pearl Harbor, it was called the US Army Air Corps.
1:32	·	When the hikers brushed the snow off the body, it's confirmed his uniform is clearly
1:38	·	from the Second World War.
1:40	·	World War Two servicemen in California.
1:45	·	That's strange.
1:47	·	But we do know that top secret activities were carried out during World War Two all
1:51	·	over the American West.
1:53	·	Was this soldier involved in a mission that has never been revealed?
1:59	·	The climbers alert local law enforcement to their bizarre discovery.
2:04	·	Within days.
2:05	·	A specialized military response team is on the scene.
2:10	·	The first order of business in an investigation like this is obviously to get
2:14	·	the remains back to the lab.
2:18	·	Because they didn't want to damage the body and it was encased in ice.
2:22	·	They ended up taking a block of ice with the body back to the lab.
2:27	·	That's where forensic anthropologists will gently thaw him out by spraying him with
2:31	·	water. They need to go slowly to minimize any damage to tissues.
2:38	·	The forensic anthropologists, of course, begin to look through his personal effects.
2:43	·	And they find a nameplate.
2:46	·	But unfortunately, it's terribly corroded and unreadable.
2:50	·	Investigators turned to the same tools employed at crime scenes.
2:54	·	An ultraviolet light helps tease out faint details on the nameplate.
3:01	·	Inscribed in the metal are the letters e o a m.
3:08	·	They searched through the military records, but there's no names that match those
3:11	·	letters.
3:14	·	But the pockets of the dead man's uniform offer several clues.
3:20	·	11 coins.
3:22	·	A fountain pen and a scrap of paper.
3:25	·	What was written down on that note that he was carrying with him?
3:28	·	Was he bringing some kind of secret message?
3:32	·	This time they use a high resolution video spectral comparator.
3:36	·	It's actually the same technology that the FBI uses to investigate suspicious documents.
3:42	·	The comparator is able to decipher the faded words.
3:46	·	Could it be coded classified information?
3:51	·	Turned out to be a few lines from a limerick.
3:52	·	And given the kind of songs and stories that lighten the mood for military members going
3:57	·	off to war, you can imagine what kind of limerick it was.
4:01	·	If he wasn't on a secret mission, why was he there?
4:08	·	The skies over the Sierra Nevada were busy during the war years.
4:13	·	Airmen were trained at several nearby bases.
4:16	·	Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, aviation cadets often crash, and there were
4:22	·	lots of crashes in that vicinity.
4:25	·	Since World War Two, nearly 50 aircraft have been listed as missing in the area around
4:32	·	Kings Canyon Park.
4:34	·	Some of the planes in the backcountry have never been found.
4:37	·	So how do you match this airman to his plane?
4:46	·	The coins in the man's pockets may help narrow down the timeline.
4:51	·	The most recent coin is from 1942.
4:54	·	So obviously that was the earliest year he might have crashed.
4:59	·	A search through the military archives for 1942 finally offers a clue.
5:06	·	November 18th, 1942.
5:10	·	Seven military aircraft took off from Mather Air Base outside of Sacramento on a training
5:14	·	flight. Only six aircraft returned.
5:20	·	These planes were Beech 87 seconds.
5:23	·	Twin engine aircraft used for navigational training.
5:27	·	Air Force recovery records show that two years after the end of the war in 1947, the
5:33	·	wreck was found in the vicinity of where the airman's body was located.
5:39	·	But something doesn't add up.
5:41	·	Official documents already list a place of burial under a single headstone for the four
5:46	·	man crew that was aboard.
5:49	·	If the four men are already buried.
5:52	·	Who is this fifth mystery man?
5:54	·	The team then catches a break.
5:56	·	They find the flight manifest of the airplane.
6:00	·	One of the names on the manifest is Leo Mustonen, a 22 year old cadet from Minnesota.
6:09	·	The letters of his name are close to the letters found on the corpse's ID tags, but
6:14	·	they'll need more evidence to get a definite match.
6:17	·	They turn to DNA analysis.
6:21	·	The sample is mitochondrial DNA, a molecule that's passed from mother to son.
6:25	·	And it's this kind of information that they need in order to make the identification of
6:29	·	this airman.
6:30	·	But when the team tracks down the Mustin family, they discover that there are no
6:35	·	maternal relatives alive to provide a sample for comparison.
6:39	·	But then the investigation team realizes that there's another way that DNA can help with
6:44	·	this case. It's called process of elimination.
6:47	·	Investigators trace the families of the other three airmen known to be on board the flight.
6:54	·	Luckily, those families are able to provide DNA samples that can be compared to the DNA
7:00	·	of the mystery airman.
7:03	·	None of them is a match.
7:04	·	So the investigators can conclude that these have to be the remains of Air cadet Leo
7:09	·	Mustonen, who was only 22 years old when he died.
7:14	·	The mystery of the Sierra Airmen's identity is solved.
7:20	·	So what about that name tag?
7:23	·	Why was there no match?
7:25	·	Well, it turns out the investigation was thrown off by a misspelling.
7:29	·	Leo Mustonen's middle name was Arvid Leo Mustonen, not Leo Mustonen.
7:38	·	The report incorrectly reported his middle initial as M.
7:44	·	But one thing still doesn't add up.
7:47	·	The military said that there were four bodies in that grave.
7:50	·	So who is the fourth body of Leo Mustonen was actually buried in the ice.
7:58	·	It turned out that the military hadn't been entirely forthcoming about the burial, and
8:02	·	the reasons are actually quite understandable.
8:04	·	When the crash was discovered, no bodies were found to bury.
8:10	·	But the military thought it'd be easier on the families if they had a grave, if they had
8:14	·	a place to visit.
8:17	·	And so they told them that the bodies were found, but just not identifiable.
8:21	·	And they staged a mock burial in that grave.
8:27	·	In 2007, two years after the discovery of Leo Mustonen's body.
8:32	·	Searchers found the body of another crew member, Glen Munn.
8:39	·	The other two crewmen are still out there resting in the Sierra Nevada.