How much is known about the fate of the "Lost Colonists"?

The First Colonies-The first English attempt to settle in America ended in failure and mystery. In 1584, explorer Walter Raleigh scouted the coast of North America, then returned to England to gain support for his goal of building a permanent settlement in America. In 1585, more than 100 men settled on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina. Two years later, 110 more settlers sailed from England to Roanoke. In 1590 a third group of settlers arrived at Roanoke to discover that the previous settlers had vanished. The only trace of the English existence was the word "Croatoan" (the name of the Indians who inhabited the island) carved into a tree. These first English settlers became known as the Lost Colonists and their fate remains a mystery to this day. Some historians speculate that the Indians killed these colonists, whom they regarded as invaders, or that the colonists abandoned the island in search of a better place to settle.