Cold Case Breakthrough: Identification of 1977 Runaway Teen’s Remains
Authorities have achieved a significant advancement in a longstanding cold case. They identified human remains found nearly 49 years ago in North Carolina as those of Cindy Marcell Blizzard. Blizzard was a 15-year-old runaway who vanished from Maryland.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) reported that the skeletal remains were discovered over six months after Blizzard went missing in spring 1977. Although the cause of death remains unknown, the case is treated as a homicide. The remains were located in a wooded area near a manufacturing facility in Wilson County, which is roughly five hours away from Blizzard’s home.
As per the SBI, the surroundings and circumstances of the remains’ discovery suggest a high likelihood of foul play. Consequently, investigators are handling it as a homicide case.
Investigators have identified human remains found nearly 49 years ago as those of Maryland runaway teen Cindy Marcell Blizzard, with the investigation being conducted as a homicide.
Officials stated that skeletal remains and clothing were found on December 29, 1977, near a Firestone plant that manufactures vehicle tires. A medical examiner established that the remains had been there for six months to two years, attributing them to a white female aged between 16 and 23 years.
Throughout the following decades, the case remained unsolved due to the limitations of forensic technology. The SBI noted that investigators repeatedly compared dental records with missing persons cases without success.
The case reopened in 2010 when a state anthropologist submitted the remains for DNA testing, cross-referencing the findings with federal databases. However, significant progress only emerged in 2024, thanks to the Cold Case Investigative Team employing modern forensic methodologies not available in 1977.
When the case met criteria for advanced DNA testing, forensic scientists managed to retrieve preserved genetic material from a bone sample.
A genealogy service used the DNA profile to find possible relatives, leading investigators to Cindy Marcell Blizzard, a 15-year-old who had escaped from Monkton, Maryland, in spring 1977.
The identification involved assistance from several agencies, including the FBI’s NCIC Investigation and Operational Assistance Group, the Maryland Department of State Police Homicide Unit, and the Raleigh Police Department’s Intel Unit.
Investigators persist in seeking answers about Blizzard’s death, aiming to resolve the mystery surrounding the tragic events of 1977.