15-Year-Old Girl Missing Since 1977 Identified After 49 Years in North Carolina

After 49 years, remains found in NC identified as 15-year-old runaway from Maryland. New DNA breakthrough solves cold case.

Editorial Desk

September 9, 2026 One Min Read

POLICY WIRE — Wilson County, North Carolina — A 49-year-old cold case has finally reached resolution after skeletal remains discovered in a North Carolina forest were confirmed to belong to a 15-year-old girl who disappeared in 1977.

The remains were uncovered on December 29, 1977, in a wooded area near a manufacturing plant in Wilson County. At the time, investigators estimated the remains had been there for between six months and two years, and they believed the victim was a white female aged 16 to 23. The case was treated as a homicide, but no suspect was ever identified, and the victim’s identity remained unknown for decades.

Efforts to identify the remains continued over the years, including DNA testing in 2010 and a re-examination by the bureau’s Cold Case Investigative Team in 2024. Using advanced forensic techniques, investigators traced the genetic profile to Cindy Marcell Blizzard, a 15-year-old who ran away from her home in Monkton, Maryland, in the spring of 1977. Authorities have not released additional details about her life or family. The investigation into her death is still ongoing, with officials urging anyone with information to contact the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

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Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)

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