Nearly 50 years after human remains were recovered from a North Carolina wooded area, investigators have positively identified the victim as 15-year-old Cindy Marcell Blizzard, who ran away from her northern Maryland home in the spring of 1977. According to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), advanced DNA testing unlocked the cold case, transforming an undetermined death investigation into an active homicide inquiry.
Discovery of the Remains in Wilson County
On December 29, 1977, someone discovered the teenager’s remains in a wooded area in Wilson County, North Carolina, situated about 60 miles east of Raleigh. Both the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina SBI responded to the scene. At the time, a medical examiner determined the remains belonged to a white female between 16 and 23 years old who had likely been in the area anywhere from six months to two years.
“Circumstances surrounding the location and recovery of the remains raised the probability of foul play and the investigators are treating the case as a homicide,” the North Carolina SBI stated in a news release.
Decades of Unsuccessful Identification Efforts
For decades, law enforcement agencies attempted to put a name to the unidentified remains. Investigators initially compared dental records to missing persons cases, but those comparisons yielded no matches. According to the North Carolina SBI, “The forensic tools of the time weren’t enough, and the case went cold.”
The case saw renewed momentum in 2010 when a state anthropologist reopened the file and submitted the victim’s teeth for DNA testing. Technicians uploaded the resulting profile to two major databases:
- CODIS: The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Combined DNA Index System, which enables law enforcement laboratories to share DNA profiles electronically.
- NamUs: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, a central database assisting agencies and families in resolving missing and unidentified person cases.
Neither database produced a match at that time, according to the North Carolina SBI.
Advanced DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy
Although the case remained under the purview of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office for nearly five decades, the North Carolina SBI’s Cold Case Investigative Team assigned Special Investigator Andy Murr to review the case in 2024 using contemporary forensic tools.
Working alongside the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Murr determined the physical evidence was suitable for advanced DNA testing. The medical examiner shipped a bone sample to Othram, a Texas-based DNA laboratory. Specialists at Othram extracted genetic material to build a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profile, mapping out genetic variations.
Investigators matched that SNP profile against hundreds of thousands of genetic markers to locate potential family members. After testing reference samples provided by relatives, specialists positively identified the teenager as Cindy Marcell Blizzard of Monkton, Maryland, a community located about 18 miles north of Towson.
The Ongoing Homicide Investigation
While investigators now know the identity of the young runaway, the circumstances surrounding her final months and death remain a mystery. The North Carolina SBI confirmed that her cause of death, previously ruled undetermined, is now officially investigated as a homicide.
“Her death remains unsolved,” the North Carolina SBI wrote in their release. “Investigators are still looking for answers.”
Authorities urge anyone with information regarding Cindy Marcell Blizzard’s disappearance or the homicide investigation to contact the North Carolina SBI or local law enforcement.