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A woman from North Carolina, whose mysterious disappearance in 2001 sparked a 24-year search effort, is now facing legal charges dating back to the year she went missing.
Michelle Hundley Smith, currently 63, was discovered on February 20 in an undisclosed location within North Carolina after detectives received fresh leads on her case, according to the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office.
Smith was 38 years old when her husband reported her missing on December 9, 2001. She had reportedly left their home in Eden to go Christmas shopping in Martinsville, Virginia, but never returned. Her car was also never located.
The search for Smith was extensive, yet despite persistent investigative efforts, her whereabouts remained a mystery until recently.
Smith has since posted a $2,000 bond for failing to appear in court on a charge related to a DWI incident that occurred just a month before her prolonged disappearance.
Authorities said Smith told investigators she left on her own accord and referenced “domestic issues.”
Sheriff Sam Page told Fox News Digital that the sheriff’s office had no prior record of domestic incidents at the home. No criminal charges are expected in connection with her disappearance. However, following her identification, investigators discovered an outstanding Order for Arrest dating back to 2001.
A missing persons flyer circulated at the time of Michelle Hundely Smith’s disappearance in December 2001. (Bring Michelle Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
In a statement, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said that after consultation with the District Attorney’s Office and further investigation, authorities identified an outstanding Order for Arrest for Smith for failure to appear.
The order stemmed from a DWI charge issued by the Eden Police Department on Nov. 11, 2001. Smith failed to appear in court on Dec. 27, 2001, for that charge, the statement said.
On Feb. 25, 2026, Smith was taken into custody by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at the request of Rockingham County authorities. She later posted $2,000 in bond and is scheduled to appear in Rockingham County District Court on March 26, 2026.
Missing mom found alive after 23 years reveals she left due to domestic issues. North Carolina woman disappeared in 2001, leaving family with questions. (Bring Michelle Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
On Thursday, the New York Post reported that they had located Smith in a trailer in a rural community near the South Carolina state line.
“My daughter is forgiving me. We are in contact, so leave me alone,” she told the outlet.
Smith’s neighbors said that she had “been here for years and years” and mostly keeps to herself.Â
“We asked why she didn’t come out of the house much and she said her husband passed. He passed last year… She was really sad about it. She said she was depressed and stayed inside,” the neighbor said.
Michelle Hundely Smith disappeared after leaving her home in North Carolina to go Christmas shopping in Virginia in December 2001. (Bring Michelle Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
In a 2018 interview on “The Vanished Podcast,” her daughter, Amanda Hundley, said her mother’s marriage was unraveling under the weight of alcohol abuse, infidelity and escalating marital arguments.
Smith had recently lost her job at a veterinary practice after being fired for drinking on the job, Hundley said.
“My dad didn’t like the fact that my mom hid her drinking. I knew about it, and I was the only one. And I felt, you know, I was young, and I felt obligated not to say anything to betray my mom,” Hundley said on the podcast.
According to Hundley, her father suspected the drinking but did not fully understand the extent of it until after Smith vanished.
“He said, ‘Do you know where she kept the bottles at?’ And I showed them we had a little red building outside, and it was full of rum bottles, the empties, the ones that she had already drunk,” recalled Hundley, who was 14 at the time.
The couple’s relationship had also deteriorated. Hundley said both her parents had affairs during the marriage. She described frequent arguments that “got physical a few times.”
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