Headless, handless body found on New York road 56 years ago identified through DNA; killer remains unknown

The headless, handless body of a man found on the side of a lonely road in New York’s Allegany County 56 years ago has been identified through DNA advancements, officials announced this week.

Still, his killer hasn’t been caught.

The body of Clyde A. Coppage, 35, was discovered along a road in Andover in upstate New York in March 1970.

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"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 in a news release Thursday.

Coppage was originally from Pennsylvania and hadn’t been reported missing.

He didn’t have any clothes on or any other way to identify him, Trooper James O’Callaghan said Friday, according to the Albany Times Union.

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O’Callaghan said the evidence suggested Coppage was killed and dismembered somewhere else before his body was left on the rural Davis Hill Road in Andover.

In June 2022, his body was exhumed for a DNA profile, and, with the help of the FBI, he was finally identified.

State police said the Bureau of Criminal Investigation out of NYSP Amity is asking for the public’s help for any information about Coppage or his killer.

The investigation into his death remains active, police said.

American flag raised, flies over US Embassy in Venezuela building for first time in 7 years

The American flag flew again over the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela on Saturday, marking the first time it has been raised in the South American country in seven years.

The embassy compound in Caracas is still undergoing renovations, and officials have not announced when the building will fully reopen, The Associated Press reported.

The flag’s return comes months after former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces in January. 

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The U.S. Embassy highlighted the moment in a social media post, calling it the start of a new chapter in relations between Washington and Caracas.

"A new era for U.S.-Venezuela relations has begun," the U.S. Embassy wrote on X.

Some residents expressed hope that the flag signals improved ties with the international community.

Caracas resident Alessandro Di Benedetto said the atmosphere among onlookers was optimistic, according to The Associated Press.

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"I found several people here surprised and happy because today they raised the U.S. flag at the embassy," he said. "This is positive; this is another step."

The embassy had been closed since March 12, 2019, when the U.S. and Venezuela cut diplomatic relations, according to the website for the U.S. Department of State.

Maduro was captured during a U.S. military operation in Caracas on Jan. 3 and flown to New York, where he is currently being held in a federal jail.

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He faces multiple charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess those weapons.

Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, is also facing federal charges related to drug trafficking and weapons offenses.

Both pleaded not guilty during a federal court appearance in New York on Jan. 5.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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