Remains found 49 years ago in North Carolina identified as 15-year-old girl from Maryland
Advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy linked the remains to a 15-year-old runaway, but investigators said the death remains unsolved.
- On Tuesday, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation identified skeletal remains found in 1977 as Cindy Marcell Blizzard, a 15-year-old runaway who vanished from Monkton, Maryland, nearly 49 years ago.
- Authorities discovered the remains and clothing on December 29, 1977, in a wooded area near the Firestone plant in Wilson County, where a medical examiner estimated the victim was between approximately 16 and 23 years old.
- In 2024, SBI Special Investigator Andy Murr reopened the case using advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy to trace potential relatives, providing the breakthrough that eluded investigators for more than 49 years.
- Although investigators confirmed Blizzard's identity, the manner of death remains undetermined, and the case continues to be treated as a homicide based on discovery circumstances.
- The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Wilson County Sheriff's Office are seeking public assistance; anyone with information about the 1977 case can call the Cold Case Tip Line at 919-582-TIPS.
45 Articles
45 Articles
Nearly half a century after her disappearance in the spring of 1977, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation identified bone remains found near a tire factory in Wilson County. Cindy Marcell Blizzard, a 15-year-old teenager who had escaped from Monkton, Maryland, is now formally investigated as a homicide.
Who Was Cindy Marcell Blizzard? DNA Cracks 49-Year Mystery of Missing Maryland Teen
Nearly 49 years after skeletal remains were discovered in a wooded area in northeast North Carolina, investigators have finally identified the victim as Cindy Marcell Blizzard, a 15-year-old girl who had run away from Monkton, Maryland, in the spring of 1977, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) announced in a statement on Tuesday, September 8. Who Was Cindy Marcell Blizzard? DNA Cracks 49-Year Mystery of Missing Maryland Teen.
Cold case takes grim turn after remains identified as runaway teen; homicide investigation underway
Advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy identified remains found near a North Carolina manufacturing facility as those of a Maryland teen who vanished in 1977.
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