What event led to the "lost" status of Roanoke Colony?

The "lost" status of Roanoke Colony is most accurately attributed to unknown circumstances. In 1587, a group of English settlers arrived on Roanoke Island, off the coast of what is now North Carolina. When John White, the governor, returned to the colony in 1590 after a supply trip to England, he found that the settlement had been abandoned with no trace of its inhabitants. The word "Croatoan" was carved into a tree, suggesting some connection to a nearby island, but no concrete explanation was ever established regarding the fate of the colonists.

While theories abound, including the possibility of conflict with Indigenous peoples, starvation, or attempts to integrate with local tribes, no definitive evidence confirms any of these scenarios. Thus, the mystery surrounding the disappearance without any concrete evidence of what transpired, or the complete lack of records detailing the colonists' fate, solidifies the events as unknown circumstances rather than a single, identifiable incident like war or natural disaster. This lack of clarity contributes to the enduring intrigue of the Roanoke Colony's disappearance.