A North Carolina woman who authorities originally reported missing more than two decades ago was thankfully found alive and well, bringing a 24-year investigation to an end. However, unresolved mysteries still surround her disappearance, as investigators found her living a brand-new life and she did not wish to reunite with her family. It’s a strange tale indeed.
According to information the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office released, authorities located Michelle Hundely Smith, who went missing in December 2001, on February 20, 2026, in North Carolina. Detectives found Smith after they received new information concerning the case. Smith was 38 years old when her husband reported her missing.
Smith’s husband said his wife left their home on December 9, 2001, to do some Christmas shopping in Martinsville, Virginia. She never returned home. Her vehicle also disappeared. Imagine being this poor man. His wife—someone he loved and cared for—vanished into thin air without a trace for two decades. He likely assumed someone murdered her and that he would never know what truly happened. Learning that she essentially ran away and started a new life must be heartbreaking.
Multiple agencies across North Carolina and Virginia conducted an extensive investigation, including the State Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Even after years and years of searching, detectives could not crack the case.
Last week, Sgt. A. Disher and Detective C. Worley contacted Smith at an “undisclosed location within North Carolina alive and well” after receiving a tip. However, Smith asked officials to keep her location secret. Detectives told the family that they had found Smith but informed them of her wishes. Detectives also said they still do not know what motivated her disappearance.
At the very least, she should contact her family and explain why she decided to leave them behind. Her disappearance likely caused immense trauma for her loved ones, and without some explanation, achieving closure and moving on will prove difficult. While we should reserve judgment and avoid jumping to conclusions about why she left, abandoning your family to start a new life without them certainly doesn’t look good.
“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 agency said in a Facebook post.
“Their persistence and commitment ultimately led to locating Michelle Hundely Smith and serves as a testament to the dedication of the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Criminal Investigations Division, along with the many other law enforcement agencies that assisted throughout the years,” the post continued.
Smith’s cousin, Barbara Byrd, searched for clues and answers about what might have happened, including making guest appearances on true crime podcasts with other family members and appearing on television shows to keep Smith’s name in the headlines.
After all those hours spent searching, she couldn’t pick up the phone once to let them know she was okay? Something about this case feels very strange.
“I kind of want to go outside and scream, ‘she’s alive, she’s alive,’” Byrd said in an interview with a local media station. “For years, we didn’t know if we were grieving or waiting,” she added.
Byrd also revealed that learning her cousin was alive after 24 years left her feeling conflicted about what she should do next.
“My biggest question to her is… what happened all those years ago in December? What made you leave? What happened?” Byrd told the outlet. Byrd said that while she feels relieved her cousin is okay, Smith’s decision to keep her location hidden from the family feels confusing and upsetting, though she said she has chosen gratitude.
“I understand and respect that she doesn’t want any of us to contact her,” Byrd said. “I’m not angry.”
“The biggest answer I had today was that she was alive. Nothing else matters right at this moment,” she added.
Smith’s daughter, Amanda, also spoke to the media, saying she had only just learned authorities found her mother.
“As far as my opinions and feelings on my mom, I am ecstatic, I am p—-ed, I am heartbroken, I am all over the map! Will I have a relationship once more with my mom?” Smith’s daughter said in a statement posted to a Facebook account created to help find her missing mom. “Honestly, I can’t answer that because I don’t even know. My initial reaction would be yes, absolutely, but then I think of all the hurt,” she added. “But even then, my mom is only human, just as we all are.”
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