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.
TL;DR
- Human remains found in North Carolina in 1977 identified as 15-year-old runaway Cindy Marcell Blizzard from Maryland.
- Blizzard disappeared in the spring of 1977, and her skeletal remains were discovered six months later.
- The manner of death is undetermined, but the case is being investigated as a homicide.
- The remains were found near a Wilson County manufacturing facility.
- The case was reopened in 2010 and gained momentum in 2024 with advanced forensic tools, including DNA testing and genetic genealogy.
- Investigators are still searching for answers surrounding Blizzard's death.