Remains of Champaign Co. soldier killed in Korean War identified, will be buried in Ohio

CABLE, Ohio — The remains of a Champaign County soldier, listed as missing in action since 1950, will be returned to Ohio for burial after his remains were officially identified.

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Army Cpl. Charles E. Hiltibran, 19, of Cable, Ohio was officially accounted for in April 2020, following the work of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, according to a spokesperson for the agency. The agency announced Hiltibran was accounted for Monday following a months-long delay to deliver the full briefing to family members.

Hiltibran’s unit was attacked by enemy forces in North Korea in December 1950. After the battle, his remains could not be recovered and he was listed as missing in action, the DPAA spokesperson said.

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Hiltibran’s remains were contained in boxes turned over to the United States from North Korea following the summit between the two nations in 2018.

After the 2018 meeting, North Korea turned over 55 boxes to the U.S., containing the remains of American service members killed in the war. Those boxes were handed over the the DPAA laboratory for identification.

“To identify Hiltibran’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis,” the spokesperson said.

Hiltibran will be buried in Urbana but a date has not been determined, the spokesperson said.

Hiltibran’s name had previously been included on the Court of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu along with other service members still missing from the Korean War. Since he has been accounted for, a rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he’s been accounted, the spokesperson said.

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