Sipu Jha
A mother of three, Michele Hundley Smith, who vanished 24 years ago, has finally been found alive. Her disappearance in December 2002 left family and authorities puzzled for decades. At the time, she had told her family she was going Christmas shopping, but never returned. Her children were just seven, 14, and 19 years old. The case became one of those mysteries that seemed impossible to solve.On 21 February 2026, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Smith had been located. She has reportedly been living in North Carolina, leading a private life, away from her family for over two decades. Police say she is safe and in good health, as reported by The Sun.
Smith’s 24-year disappearance: Family reacts to her secret life and sudden return
Smith’s life over the past 24 years was largely unknown to her loved ones. Several agencies, including the FBI, investigated her disappearance. The family never stopped searching. Her cousin, Barbara Byrd, expressed relief at the news. “I kind of want to go outside and scream, ‘she’s alive, she’s alive,” Byrd said.The circumstances of why she left and why she stayed hidden remain unclear. Authorities have said that she requested her location not be publicly shared. The news was met with mixed emotions. Smith’s daughter, Amanda, posted on Facebook about her feelings. She wrote that she felt ecstatic, angry, heartbroken, and confused all at once.“Will I have a relationship once more with my mom? Honestly, I can’t answer that because I don’t even know,” she said.She added that the bond she had with her mother, though interrupted, would never be forgotten. Amanda mentioned past mother-daughter arguments but said that what mattered now was simply that her mother was alive.
What investigation reveals about Michele Smith’s disappearance
Authorities revealed that new information about the case emerged on 19 February 2026, leading to Smith’s discovery. Details on how investigators tracked her down have not been disclosed. Reportedly, Michele had been driving a forest-green 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport van, which was never found. The family had long emphasised that Michele would never have willingly abandoned her children.
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