North Carolina Identifies 49-Year-Old Remains as Missing Teen, Opens Homicide Probe
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 9
North Carolina Identifies 49-Year-Old Remains as Missing Teen, Opens Homicide Probe
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 9
Summary
North Carolina authorities said skeletal remains found in Wilson County on Dec. 29, 1977, belong to Cindy Marcell Blizzard, a 15-year-old Maryland runaway who vanished that spring.
Investigators are now treating the case as a homicide because the wooded recovery site near a manufacturing plant and the circumstances of the discovery suggested foul play, though the manner of death remains undetermined.
The case stalled for decades after dental-record checks failed, then was reopened in 2010 and gained traction in 2024 when newer forensic tools allowed scientists to extract usable DNA from a bone sample.
Genealogy analysis traced potential relatives and led investigators to Blizzard, with the FBI, Maryland State Police and Raleigh police assisting the identification as authorities continue seeking answers about her death.