Monday, February 23 2026 - A missing North Carolina mother who vanished in 2001 has been found alive, according to officials.
In a statement, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office
announced that Michelle Hundley Smith was located somewhere in North
Carolina, adding that the woman’s "current whereabouts will remain
undisclosed” per her request.
Detectives discovered the wife and mother was living a
secret life in North Carolina, according to investigators.
A “new lead” is credited with solving the mystery of what
became of Michelle Hundley Smith. Smith, who is now 62, was last seen
leaving her Eden home back on December 9, 2001. She reportedly told her husband
she was going to a Kmart in Martinsville, Virginia, to do Christmas shopping at
the time, but never returned.
A formal missing person's report was filed for the then
38-year-old mom, and "an extensive
investigation was immediately launched," the sheriff's
office said in a statement.
"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)," reads the press statement.
"Despite countless hours of investigative work and the pursuit of numerous
leads, Michelle Hundley Smith’s whereabouts remained unknown."
In 2018, Michelle Smith's daughter made a post on Facebook, begging for her
mother to reach out if she's still alive.
The sheriff's office never gave up on their search for
Michelle Smith, which eventually ended on Friday, February 20, 2026.
The sheriff's office's Criminal Investigations Division
"received new information regarding Michelle Hundley Smith and her
disappearance" and "detectives immediately followed up on the lead
and began further investigative efforts," the statement explained.
Two detectives spoke with her and confirmed her identity. It
does not appear she is facing any criminal charges.
"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 police statement added.
"Their persistence and commitment ultimately led to the
locating of Michelle Hundley 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," the statement concluded.
A Facebook page about Smith's case, run by her
daughter, Amanda Smith, thanked "everyone for their support" but
said that "the personal details are not going to be dived into right
now."
"I will say that my mother chose her new life, and we
know she is alive, and for now that is enough. I can't really think straight
right now to make a heartfelt post but again,” Amanda wrote, adding that she
plans to rename the Facebook page now that her mother has been located.
Instead, Amanda will focus her efforts on highlighting other unsolved missing
person's cases.
“He believes she just took off and left him, and us, that
night,” Amanda told NBC News in 2020 of her father’s theory regarding
her mother’s disappearance. “And I guess that’s possible. It’s hard to rule out
that she just left all of us and started a new life. But there’s also something
that nags at me, that something happened to her on her way back home.”
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