In July 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes they said contained the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. The remains arrived days later at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for identification, according to a release from the DPAA.
Hiltibran was officially identified on April 20, 2020.
To identify his remains, DPAA scientists used anthropological analysis, circumstantial evidence, and scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis, the release stated.
Hiltibran’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for, the DPAA said.
A burial date for Hiltibran has not been determined.
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