More than five decades after a headless and handless body was discovered along a desolate stretch of road in upstate New York, advances in DNA technology have finally given him a name – but the killer remains unknown.
New York State Police announced Friday that remains found on March 20, 1970, on Davis Hill Road in Andover have been identified as Clyde A. Coppage.
The gruesome discovery left investigators at the time with few clues. The corpse had no head, hands, clothing or any other items to identify him by, Trooper James O’Callaghan said Friday at a press conference.
Coppage was 35 years old and living in Genesee, Pennsylvania, at the time of his disappearance. He was never reported missing, further complicating efforts to identify him, police said.
“Over the course of nearly 56 years, investigating members of the New York State Police continued to track down every lead, but the identity of the male remained unknown,” New York State Police said.
The case remained cold for years due to limitations in DNA technology, O’Callaghan said. In June 2022, the investigation saw renewed momentum when authorities exhumed the body to obtain a DNA profile.
State Police, working with the FBI, relied on DNA analysis to identify the body as Coppage. He was identified February 27.
Genesee, Pennsylvania is about 27 miles south of where Coppage’s body was found. Investigators believe Coppage was killed and dismembered elsewhere before his body was dumped along the rural roadway, according to O’Callaghan, who spoke to the Albany Times Union.
O’Callaghan also told the outlet that Coppage worked for Kodak in the Rochester area and was married with children when he disappeared. It’s unclear why his family did not report him missing.
Investigators have interviewed his wife, who is now in her late 80s, but O’Callaghan declined to give any more details.
State Police have not revealed Coppage’s cause of death.
“The investigation into the death of Coppage remains open and active,” the release stated.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about Coppage or the circumstances surrounding his death to contact the New York State Police at 585-344-6200.
