What happened to the colonists of Roanoke Island? Over the years, historians and other individuals have come up with many conspiracies regarding what actually happened to the missing colony.
1: the colonists left the island
One theory of what happened to the Roanoke colonists is that they left the island and started a colony in Chesapeake. The colonists used material from their houses and settlement to create boats to sail from the island to Chesapeake. This would explain why White found no houses or indication of settlement when he returned to Roanoke Island. This conspiracy would also justify what the natives told Jamestown settlers twenty years later. When the colonists arrived in this area, the natives admitted to killing previous colonists because they were fearful of them taking their land.
2: The colonists were killed by a disease
This theory is very unlikely and obscure since no bodies were found by White and also due to the fact that there were no houses present upon his return. Although disease was an issue for many of the early colonists, the evidence left on Roanoke does not point to the presence of illness.
3: The colonists were killed by native americans
This conspiracy could definitely be true. When White left the colonists to return to England, the colonists' relationship with the Native Americans on Roanoke was tense. The natives could have felt threatened by the colonists and might have attacked them in order to get them to leave Roanoke. The only flaw in this theory is that there were never any bones found by either White, or on recent digs done by archaeologists. Also, in order for the houses to be completely gone, the Native Americans would have had to take down each of the houses themselves.
4: the colony was destroyed by a hurricane
Although this theory could be credible because the colonists were nowhere to be seen and the houses were totally gone, there is evidence that disproves this theory. For example, the fact that the fence surrounding the village was still standing practically eliminates this conspiracy as being valid.
5: Ufo's? Vampires?
Even though UFO's and vampires are obscure subjects, there are still some individuals that have their own theories about how a UFO or a vampire could be responsible for the colony's mysterious disappearance. These claims have never been substantiated, however.