62-year-old Michele HundleySmith, who vanished in 2001, has been found alive in North Carolina after 24 years.
Woman Found After 24 Years
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office announced that 62-year-old Michele HundleySmith has been found. Authorities met with the woman at an undisclosed location in North Carolina. They reported that the woman “is alive and well” and requested that no information be shared about her current residence.
Disappearance Details
At the time of her disappearance, the then 38-year-old American went missing on December 9, 2001. She went shopping to a store in Martinsville, Virginia, located about tens of kilometers from her home in Eden. At the time, she was raising an 8-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter. Her oldest daughter, who was 19 at the time, no longer lived with the family. The woman’s husband reported her disappearance.
Family’s Mixed Emotions
One of the woman’s daughters, who is now 62, commented on the case on social media.
“My father has faced many accusations since then… Even before social media became so popular, in our small town where we live, many people acted as if they knew he was involved… But he wasn’t! Of course, I never thought he was,” she wrote.
“I’m ecstatic, angry, heartbroken, torn apart! Will I have contact with my mother again? Honestly, I can’t answer that question because I don’t even know… My first reaction would be: ‘yes, absolutely’, but then I thought about all this pain,” noted the daughter of the found woman. “Each of us humans has our flaws, each of us has darkness within us, and each of us deserves a chance to become a better person and heal from the past,” she added.
Questions Remain
Michele Hundley Smith’s cousin, in a conversation with WFMY, stated: “My most important question is… What happened 24 years ago in December? What prompted you to leave? What happened?” – “I understand and respect that she doesn’t want us to contact her. I’m not angry. The most important answer I received today was that she is alive. Nothing else matters at this moment,” she concluded.
