A North Carolina woman who vanished more than two decades ago in December 2001 has been found alive. Her family is rejoicing and shocked by her mysterious return.
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office announced on Friday, Feb. 20, that Michele Hundley Smith, now 62, has been located. She was first reported missing on Dec. 31, 2001, when she was 38 years old.
A missing mom has been found alive after vanishing 24 years ago.
Michele Hundley Smith was 38 years old when her husband reported that she had left their home in Eden, North Carolina, on December 9th, 2001, to go Christmas shopping in Martinsville, Virginia. She never returned… pic.twitter.com/kIpYnhcyNu
— Rose (@901Lulu) February 24, 2026
A report by People revealed that detectives received new information about her case and were able to find her at an undisclosed location in North Carolina. However, her current location has been kept a secret as Smith does not want her current whereabouts revealed.
“On [Feb. 20], Sgt. A. Disher and Detective C. Worley made contact with Michele Hundley Smith at an undisclosed location within North Carolina, alive and well. At her request, her current whereabouts will remain undisclosed,” the sheriff’s office announced.
Authorities confirmed that Smith’s family has been informed that she is alive, especially after searching for her for 24 years. Smith’s husband was the first person to report her missing in 2001, after she went for Christmas shopping at a K-Mart in Martinsville, and never returned.
Smith disappeared on Dec. 9, 2001, from the shopping center that was about 17 miles away from their house. Her husband reported her missing weeks later, on Dec. 31. The police then launched a large investigation at the time, seeking help from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI.
Anniversary Date of Missing Person (2001) – MICHELLE LYN HUNDLEY SMITH
[Rockingham County, N.C.] – Anyone with information about this Missing Person case is asked to call the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office at 336-634-3232 or Rockingham County Crime Stoppers at 336-349-9683. pic.twitter.com/kXK22ZTadX
— Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office (N.C.) (@rockcosheriff) December 9, 2021
“An extensive investigation was immediately launched. 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),” the sheriff’s office wrote.
However, despite years of work, there were no answers about what happened to her until February 2026, when she was finally found. In the meantime, Smith’s family never stopped searching or looking for answers.
In 2018, her daughter Amanda created a Facebook page to collect tips and keep attention on the case. Even other relatives, including Smith’s cousin Barbara Byrd, also spoke publicly and asked for help. But their efforts went in vain almost always.
Now, after learning that her mother is alive, Amanda shared her mixed emotions in a long Facebook post. Barbara Byrd spoke to WFMY, expressing confusion about the missing person case.
“As far as my opinions and feelings on my mom… I am ecstatic, I am pi–ed, I am heartbroken, I am all over the map! Will I have a relationship once more with my mom? Honestly, I can’t answer that bc I don’t even know.” Amanda wrote.
“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. I may completely forgive my mother at some point or it may be too much to forgive and I only try moving forward best I can, and I may choose to forget everything completely or I may never be able to forget,” she continued.
Smith’s cousin, Barbara Byrd, expressed her confusion, saying, “I kind of want to go outside and scream, ‘She’s alive, she’s alive’. My biggest question is to her … What happened all those years ago in December? What made you leave? What happened?”
Byrd continued, “I understand and respect that she doesn’t want any of us to contact her. I’m not angry. The biggest answer I had today was she was alive. Nothing else matters right at this moment.”
Meanwhile, Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page confirmed that Smith is in good health, and there were no signs of foul play in the case. Smith told that she left because of ongoing domestic issues at the time. So now, the missing person case is closed.
