Remains found 49 years ago in North Carolina identified as 15-year-old girl from Maryland

September 8, 2026 / 3:39 PM EDT / CBS News

Nearly half a century after a set of skeletal remains were found in a wooded part of North Carolina, they have been identified as those of a 15-year-old runaway who vanished in 1977.

The remains were found on Dec. 29, 1977, in a wooded area near a manufacturing plant in Wilson County, North Carolina. Investigators determined that the remains had likely been there for between six months and two years, according to a news release from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. They were determined to likely belong to a White female between 16 and 23.

Investigators have treated the case as a homicide because of the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the remains. But no suspects were ever determined, and the identity of the remains could not be confirmed. Police used dental records but were unable to find a match, the bureau said. Eventually, the case went cold.

In 2010, a state anthropologist reopened the case and submitted the teeth for DNA testing. The resulting DNA profiles were entered into national databases, but no matches were found, according to investigators.

In 2024, the case was reviewed by a…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/