COOLIDGE, Ariz. — The remains of a soldier from Pinal County who died in Europe during World War II have recently been identified after being missing for nearly 80 years.
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Alcario V. Flores, 37, of Coolidge is believed to have been killed in January 1945 during a German attack on Allied forces along the Franco-German border, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Identifican a soldado de la Segunda Guerra Mundial de Arizona casi 80 años después de su muerte
The intensity of the combat made it difficult to recover the bodies of fallen soldiers at this time. A "Report of Death" was issued for Flores in 1946. After the war ended, organizations began searching for missing soldiers in this region of France.
Several of sets of remains were recovered at this time, but none could be identified as belonging to Flores.
In 2021, an anonymous person utilizing a metal detector was collecting relics from a foxhole and discovered human remains, according to DPAA. The remains were later transferred to a lab for analysis.
DPAA said dental records and mitochondrial DNA testing were used to positively identify the remains as belonging to Flores.
Flores was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division. His remains will be buried in Tempe next month.
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