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A North Carolina woman who vanished over 20 years ago has been discovered alive, sparking a wave of questions among her family members.
Following a fresh lead, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate Michele Hundley Smith, now 62, on February 20. Authorities confirmed that she is “alive and well” at an undisclosed location within North Carolina.
“At her request, her current whereabouts will remain undisclosed,” the sheriff’s office stated in a press release. “Her family has been notified of her location and her request for privacy.”
Michele was last seen on December 9, 2001, when she left her home in Eden, North Carolina, to go Christmas shopping at a K-Mart in Virginia. She was 38 years old at the time and never returned home.
Authorities launched an extensive investigation immediately after her disappearance. Over the years, the case attracted attention and cooperation from various agencies across North Carolina and Virginia, including the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Despite dedicating numerous hours to the investigation and following multiple leads, Michele Hundley Smith’s whereabouts remained a mystery until now.
“An extensive investigation was immediately launched,” authorities said. “Over the years, the case drew the attention and collaboration of multiple agencies across North Carolina and Virginia, including the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Despite countless hours of investigative work and the pursuit of numerous leads, Michelle Hundely (sic) Smith’s whereabouts remained unknown.”
Her whereabouts remained a mystery until the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division received new information on Feb. 19 about her disappearance.
Authorities noted, “Detectives immediately followed up on the lead and began further investigative efforts.”
That led them to her location the next day.
“The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office extends its sincere gratitude to the many agencies and investigators who dedicated substantial time, resources, and unwavering determination to this case over the years,” the sheriff’s office concluded. “Their persistence and commitment ultimately led to the locating of Michelle Hundely Smith and is a testament to the dedication of the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Criminal Investigations Division, and the many other Law Enforcement agencies that have assisted throughout the years.”
Michele Hundley Smith’s Family Reacts to Finding Her Alive
Michele’s daughter Amanda Smith discussed the emotional toll the disappearance had taken on the family and pleaded for answers in a 2020 interview with Dateline.
“It affected all of our lives,” she said at the time. “But I think I took it the hardest. My mom… we were best friends. She was a really good mother, you know, but then became more of a friend when I got older.”
Amanda—the middle child of three siblings—was 14 years old when her mom disappeared, describing the years after she vanished as “a blur.”
She shared her reaction to her mother being found alive on a Facebook page set up to aid in the search effort, per People.
“As far as my opinions and feelings on my mom… I am ecstatic, I am pissed, I am heartbroken, I am all over the map!” she wrote. “Will I have a relationship once more with my mom? Honestly I can’t answer that bc I don’t even know… My initial reaction would be yes absolutely but then I think of all the hurt… But even then … My mom is only human just as we all are.”
Michele’s cousin Barbara Byrd—who had been instrumental in the search effort over the years—also spoke out, telling WFMY, “I kind of want to go outside and scream, ‘she’s alive, she’s alive.’”
She added that she still had many unanswered questions.
“My biggest question is to her…what happened all those years ago in December?” she said. “What made you leave? What happened.”
Byrd added that she was “not angry” at her cousin and will “understand and respect” her desire not to have any contact with the family.
“The biggest answer I had today was she was alive,” she said. “Nothing else matters right at this moment.”