49-Year Mystery Solved: Skeletal Remains Identified As Missing Monkton Teen

MONKTON, MD — A missing person's case that dates back decades in Baltimore County recently saw a major development after skeletal remains found in North Carolina were reexamined.

After nearly 50 years, investigators were able to link clothing and skeletal remains found in Wilson County, North Carolina, to Cindy Marcell Blizzard.

Blizzard was a 15-year-old girl who ran away from her Monkton home in the spring of 1977, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Her remains were later discovered on Dec. 29, 1977, in a wooded area near a Firestone plant at 3001 Firestone Parkway in Wilson.

At the time, a medical examiner said the remains were those of a white female between 16 and 23 who could have been in the area for up to two years.

Her death was classified as undetermined but treated as a homicide due to the likelihood of foul play. However, it ultimately became a cold case after investigators couldn't pinpoint any leads.

While a state anthropologist reopened the case in 2010, it wasn't until 2024—when a special SBI investigator was assigned—that officials pulled enough information from a bone sample to build a forensic genealogy profile.

Officials identified Blizzard after matching her profile to potential relatives.

"With help from 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 confirmed her identity," the bureau said in a release.

The cause of Blizzard's death, however, remains under investigation.

Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact the SBI Cold Case Tip Line at (919) 582-8477 or by email at coldcases@ncsbi.gov. Individuals can also contact the Wilson County Sheriff's Office at (252) 237-2118.