Nearly 49-year-old mystery solved after DNA testing identifies Wilson County remains
WILSON COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — After nearly five decades, investigators have identified skeletal remains found in Wilson County in 1977 as those of a Maryland teenager who had been missing for more than 49 years.
The remains were identified as Cindy Marcell Blizzard, who was 15 years old when she ran away from Monkton, Maryland, in the spring of 1977.
On Dec. 29, 1977, skeletal remains and clothing were discovered in a wooded area near the Firestone plant at 3001 Firestone Parkway in Wilson.
The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation responded to the scene.
A medical examiner determined the remains belonged to a white female believed to be between 16 and 23 years old. Investigators estimated she had likely been in the area for six months to two years.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner classified the manner of death as undetermined. However, investigators said circumstances surrounding the location and recovery of the remains raised the possibility of foul play, and the case has been treated as a homicide.
For years, investigators compared dental records with missing-person cases but were unable to identify the woman.
The case was reopened in 2010 by a state anthropologist, who submitted the victim’s teeth for DNA testing. The resulting DNA profile was entered into CODIS and NamUs, but no match was found.
In 2024, the SBI’s Cold Case Investigative Team assigned Special Investigator Andy Murr to review the case.
Using advances in forensic technology that were not available when the remains were discovered, Murr worked with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine the case qualified for advanced DNA testing.
OCME sent a bone sample to a forensic DNA laboratory, where genetic material was extracted and used to create a SNP profile.
The profile contained hundreds of thousands of genetic markers, providing enough detail for forensic genetic genealogy.
A genealogy service used the profile to identify potential relatives and ultimately directed investigators toward a 15-year-old girl who had disappeared from Monkton, Maryland, in 1977.
Investigators then worked with 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 to confirm the woman’s identity.
The remains were identified as Cindy Marcell Blizzard.
Although investigators now know who the victim was, her death remains unsolved.
The SBI and Wilson County Sheriff’s Office are asking anyone with information about Blizzard or the circumstances surrounding her death to come forward.
Investigators continue to seek answers nearly 49 years after Blizzard disappeared.
