Michele Hundley Smith disappeared without a trace 24 years ago after telling her family and children that she was going out to do the Christmas shopping – but she was really leading a secret life
A mother who disappeared without trace 24 years ago after popping out for Christmas shopping has been found alive. Michele Hundley Smith abandoned her three children, aged seven, 14 and 19 at the time, and her vanishing from North Carolina, in the USA, was probed by police and the FBI. Now, Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed she is “alive and well”.
Her stunned relatives have been left questioning what occurred back in 2001 after it emerged she’s been living an astonishing double life, reports the Mirror.
Speaking to local broadcaster WFMYNews2, her cousin Barbara Byrd revealed: “I kind of want to go outside and scream ‘she’s alive, she’s alive’. For years, we didn’t know if we were grieving or waiting… My biggest question is to her ‘What happened all those years ago in December? What made you leave? What happened?”.
In a public statement, the Sheriff’s Office confirmed Smith had requested her whereabouts remain confidential. Ms Byrd continued: “I understand and respect that she doesn’t want any of us to contact her. I’m not angry. The biggest answer I had today was she was alive. Nothing else matters right at this moment.”
Ms Smith’s daughter, Amanda, took to Facebook, penning a lengthy statement following the revelation that her mother had been discovered.
She wrote: “As far as my opinions and feelings on my mom…I am ecstatic, I am p*****, I am heartbroken, I am all over the map. Will I have a relationship once more with my 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…But even then, my mom is only human just as we all are.”
Amanda spoke of the connection she shared with her mother, stating it “will never be forgotten”. She continued: “There were mother daughter arguments of course, but right now all I can remember are the smiles we shared, the times together that were happy and the love I felt.”
She expressed that both her parents “deserve to have their choices and their feelings respected”.
Amanda revealed that Smith’s disappearance had haunted her family for years and left them grappling with numerous unresolved questions. The Facebook page dedicated to her disappearance – “Bring Michele Hundley Smith Home” – reported that she had been driving a forest-green 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport van, which was never located.
The page stated: “Michele would have never left her children by choice”. It read: “We are desperate for answers and we are asking for community support and assistance in trying to find the truth on what happened to Michele and why she mysteriously vanished never to be seen again.
“There has been no real investigation into her disappearance to this day almost 20 years later. Lets try and end this nightmare for Michele’s loved ones and bring her home.”