What happened to the Roanoke colony?

Since 1587, the Roanoke Colony (Lost Colony) of 115 English settler has been an unsolved mystery. The leader of the colony, John White, had to return to England mid-expedition for more supplies. He left his daughter, wife, granddaughter, and the rest of the settlers on Roanoke Island. The war between England and Spain kept John White in England until he was able to return about three years after in 1590. The colony had since been abandoned and John White was not able to find any other clues except the word "Croatoan" which was carved onto a post. Croatoan was the name of both an island and the Native American inhabitants of it. Several conclusions have been drawn with no definitive answer. Some theorized that the colonists had been abducted or killed by the tribe. Others speculated that the colonists had attempted to sail back to England and died in the process. In recent years, DNA testing began on local families to test relations between Roanoke settlers and Native American tribes. No conclusions have been drawn. Archaeologists have continually revisited the past by re-evaluating objects that were excavated in the area in an attempt to draw a conclusion. Ivor Noël Hume led an archaeological dig uncovering a layout similar to a German alchemist workshop from the 16th century. This workshop layout excavation is still being revisited with the application of new dating techniques. New debates have also suggested that the site has vanished altogether. Geologist J.P. Walsh has suggested that "shifting currents and rising waters [would have] inundated the site in the past couple of centuries". Much debate surrounds the geographical area as coastal erosion is quickly erasing the possibility of studying the landscape.

The simple answer is that no one knows for sure. The true fate of the Roanoke colony is of the great mysteries of American history. Founded in 1587 on Roanoke Island, off the coast of modern-day North Carolina, the colony consisted of 115 English settlers, led by John White, who became Roanoke's governor. Later that year, White set sail for England to stock up on much-needed supplies. Unfortunately, his return to the colony was delayed by an outbreak of war between England and Spain and he was unable to reach Roanoke for another three years.
When he eventually arrived back in America, White could find no trace of the colony or its inhabitants. All that was left behind was the mysterious word "Croatoan" carved into a wooden post. This was the name of an island to the south of Roanoke which was home to a Native American tribe of the same name. A number of historians have speculated that the English settlers were abducted and killed by the Roanoke, or perhaps slaughtered by marauding Spaniards. Whatever the truth of the matter, future colonists such as the founders of Jamestown learned valuable lessons from the failure of the mysterious "Lost Colony" of Roanoke.