CARY, N.C. — A Raleigh man helped Cary police crack the case of a century-old tombstone that was lost for two years.

On April 21, 2004, Cary police were called to the Wendy's restaurant on 1213 NW Maynard Road in Cary. When they arrived, they found a light-gray marble headstone with the inscription: "Elizabeth Carlton, January 11, 1829 - April 1, 1904."

Investigators contacted local cemeteries, genealogists, and the state Department of Archives, but to no avail.

On March 1, 2006, Cary police were contacted by Earl Flannery, who found two tombstones while metal-detecting near his home. Both of the tombstones were inscribed with the last name "Carlton." He also found a footstone with the initials "E.C."

Flannery remembered the earlier case and contacted Cary police. They found four graves on a family plot with two of the headstones missing.

Police were able to make a match between one of the unidentified graves and the tombstone found in Cary in April 2004. In addition, the names on the tombstones matched the names of the late Elizabeth Carlton's family.