Back in 1585, John White joined forces with Richard Grenville on an ambitious mission to claim Roanoke Island and establish a permanent colony there. Things quickly went south, however, as the fledgling settlement struggled under the weight of relentless Indian attacks and rapidly shrinking food supplies.

One of America's oldest unsolved mysteries traces its origins to August 17th, 1587, when English colonists first set foot on Roanoke Island. This small stretch of land lies just off the coast of what we now know as North Carolina.

Life on the island proved brutal for the colonists. Between their steadily diminishing supplies and the unrelenting assaults from Indians, making any meaningful headway in their mission to conquer the island became an increasingly difficult proposition.

Faced with these mounting difficulties, Raleigh dispatched John White back to Roanoke Island carrying much-needed supplies. What awaited him, though, was a chilling discovery — the settlers had completely disappeared, including two of his own loved ones. Making matters worse, England's ongoing war with Spain had already significantly delayed his return voyage.

When Roanoke Colony Governor John White finally arrived back at the former settlement on August 17, 1590, he was met with a haunting silence — every single colonist had vanished without a trace. Among the missing was his own daughter, Eleanor Dare. Also unaccounted for was his granddaughter, Virginia Dare, who held the distinction of being the first English child born in the colony. Determined to find answers, White assembled a search party and made his way to Croatoan Island, clinging to the hope that his loved ones might be there. Tragically, the effort yielded nothing.