NC Cold Case Solved

Skeletal remains found in North Carolina in 1977 have been identified as those of 15-year-old Cindy Marcell Blizzard, a runaway from Maryland. The remains were discovered on December 29, 1977, in a wooded area near a manufacturing plant in Wilson County, North Carolina.

The remains were initially thought to be those of a White female between 16 and 23 years old, and had likely been in the wooded area for between six months and two years before being discovered. Cindy Marcell Blizzard, a 15-year-old girl, had run away from her home in Monkton, Maryland, in the spring of 1977.

In 2010, a state anthropologist reopened the case and submitted the teeth for DNA testing, but no matches were found at the time. However, in 2024, a special investigator from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation's Cold Case Investigative Team reviewed the case and sent a bone sample to a forensic DNA lab, which extracted genetic material to build a complex profile.

This profile was used to trace potential relatives, leading investigators to the case of Cindy Marcell Blizzard. The genetic information and efforts from local, state and federal agencies allowed investigators to confirm the remains as belonging to Blizzard.

## Why it matters The identification of the remains brings closure to a case that had gone cold nearly half a century ago. The investigation into Cindy Marcell Blizzard's death is ongoing, and anyone with information about her is asked to contact the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation's Cold Case Tip Line, email the agency, or contact the Wilson County Sheriff's Office.

The use of DNA testing and genetic profiling in this case highlights the importance of advances in technology in solving cold cases. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation's Cold Case Investigative Team has been able to bring new leads to old cases, and the identification of Cindy Marcell Blizzard's remains is a testament to their efforts.