Missing mom found alive after 24 years reveals why she started new life: report
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A North Carolina mother who was reported missing more than two decades ago and was recently found alive reportedly told authorities she abandoned her family due to “ongoing domestic issues.”
Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office Michelle Hundely Smith, who disappeared in December 2001, was found in North Carolina on Feb. 20 after detectives received new information about her case, police said.
“Let me just say there were no allegations of mistreatment related to his departure,” Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page said. PEOPLE. “But according to Ms. Smith, she said she left…due to internal issues going on at the time.”
“He did not elaborate on this,” he added.
Michelle Hundely Smith has been found living a new life in North Carolina after disappearing 24 years ago, according to the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office. (Bring Michelle Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
Page did not elaborate on “domestic issues,” but noted that the sheriff’s office has no record of domestic incidents at the home.
Smith was 38 when her husband reported leaving their Eden home to go Christmas shopping in Martinsville, Virginia, on Dec. 9, 2001, and never returned. His vehicle was never located.
This was followed by an extensive investigation involving multiple agencies in North Carolina and Virginia, including the State Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“She was in good health” when they found the 63-year-old woman, Page said.
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Michelle Hundely Smith disappeared in December 2001 after leaving her home in North Carolina to go Christmas shopping in Virginia. (Bring Michelle Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
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The last 48 hours have been a “whirlwind of emotions” for her family, her daughter Amanda Smith wrote in a lengthy Facebook post on Feb. 22.
“Of course you are free to think what you want, please do not put them there for my family to see. Please respect my family because [because] “We are in a lot of pain and going through a lot,” he wrote.
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“My father has faced many accusations since then… Even before the advent of social media where we live[ing] There were many people in a small town [people] They act as if they knew he was involved… Actually he wasn’t! Of course, I never thought it would… My father has been through so much that I want it to be made clear that although their marriage had problems (just like many marriages do), my mother did not just leave because of a bad marriage. “Everyone has their own opinion, but please remember that my father has been proven innocent.”
A missing persons flyer was circulating at the time of the disappearance of Michelle Hundely Smith in December 2001. (Bring Michelle Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
Despite years of investigative efforts, his whereabouts remained unknown until recently, Sgt. According to the sheriff’s office, A. Disher and Detective C. Worley contacted Smith “alive and well at an undisclosed location in North Carolina” after receiving a tip.
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“They went and found this young lady [has] He had been missing for many years, 20-odd years. “And we don’t see a lot of disappearances like this. But at least now the family has closure and they know he’s okay,” Page told PEOPLE.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
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