Michele Hundley Smith was 38 years old when she left her husband and three children — then her family spent 24 years wondering what had happened to her.
Bring Michele Hundley Smith Home/FacebookMichele Hundley Smith was 38 years old when she vanished in December 2001.
On the evening of December 9, 2001, Michele Hundley Smith left her home in North Carolina to go Christmas shopping — and she never returned. Her husband reported her missing, but despite an extensive investigation, the police were never able to determine what had happened to this vanished mother of three.
Then, just last week, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office received a tip that cracked this cold case wide open. On February 20, 2026 — more than 24 years after Michele Hundley Smith vanished — detectives found her “alive and well.” But her story isn’t over yet.
The Sudden Disappearance Of Michele Hundley Smith In 2001
When Michele Hundley Smith set out to go shopping at a Kmart in Martinsville, Virginia, in December 2001, there was every reason to believe that she’d simply be home in a few hours. But around midnight, her husband woke up their teenage daughter, Amanda. He was worried that Michele hadn’t returned.
The family reported Smith missing on December 31, 2001, and the police launched a search for the 38-year-old woman and the green 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport minivan she’d been driving. A missing poster that was released at the time noted that Smith was “endangered,” noting, “Michele is a mom of three children, she would not leave her kids by choice.”
Rockingham County Crime StoppersThe missing poster that was released shortly after Michele Hundley Smith’s disappearance.
But as the weeks passed, no clues emerged. In fact, it seemed as if Michele Hundley Smith had simply vanished into thin air.
Amanda Smith appeared on an episode of The Vanished podcast in 2018 to speak about the theories surrounding the case. She claimed that her mother was an alcoholic who had been fired from her job shortly before she vanished. Amanda also stated that her parents had a rocky relationship and that her father believed her mother had been stashing away money in the months leading up to her disappearance.
Still, Michele’s family was concerned that something more sinister may have happened.
In a statement, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office explained, “Over the years, the case drew the attention and collaboration of multiple agencies, including the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Despite countless hours of investigative work and the pursuit of numerous leads, Michele Hundley Smith’s whereabouts remained unknown.”
Then, on February 19, 2026, detectives received new information about Michele’s case. The following day, they made contact with her, finding that she was “alive and well” after 24 years. However, Michele asked that her location remain undisclosed. Michele’s family was then notified of these unforeseen developments — to mixed emotions.
Mixed Reactions To Michele Hundley Smith Being Found After 24 Years
In a post on the Facebook page “Bring Michele Hundley Smith Home,” Amanda Smith wrote, “I am ecstatic, I am pissed, I am heartbroken.”
She explained that her father spent decades facing rumors and accusations about his involvement in Michele’s disappearance. “My father has been through so much,” Amanda wrote, “and I want it made clear that while their marriage had issues (just as many marriages go through) that my mom did not leave simply [because] of a bad marriage… My dad is a great man.”
WFMY News 2/YouTubeAmanda Smith, Michele’s daughter, speaking to a local news station in December 2021.
Rockingham County Sheriff Samuel Scott Page noted that Michele made no accusations of foul play, stating only that she “left due to ongoing domestic issues.” Page also confirmed that there were no records of abuse or other allegations on file prior to Michele’s disappearance. The District Attorney’s office is now reviewing the case to determine if any charges for abandonment may apply.
Despite Amanda’s anger, she still hopes that she will one day be able to forgive — or even reunite with — her mother, who is now 62. “When my mom was a part of my daily life, she showed me a love and bond that will never ever be forgotten,” Amanda said.
Michele’s cousin, Barbara Byrd, is experiencing a similar roller coaster of emotions. She told local station WFMY that she promised Michele’s brother, who died several years ago, that they would find her someday.
And now, against all odds, Michele Hundley Smith has indeed been found.
After learning about Michele Hundley Smith, go inside 11 famous unsolved disappearances. Then, go inside the strange story of Vasile Gorgos, the Romanian farmer who returned home 30 years after he vanished with no memory of where he’d been.
