Michelle Hundley Smith: Mom of 3 Who Vanished 24 Years Ago While Christmas Shopping Found Alive and Well, Family Reacts
On February 20, 2026, law enforcement announced that michelle hundley smith has been found alive and well after a disappearance that began in 2001. The development ends a 24-year search and has prompted an emotional response from the woman’s family while her current location is being kept private at her request.
Michelle Hundley Smith located after detectives received new information
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said detectives received new information and that contact was made with Michele Hundley Smith at an undisclosed location in North Carolina. The office notified the family and confirmed that Smith was found "alive and well. " At her request, her current whereabouts will remain undisclosed.
Timeline of disappearance and the recent breakthrough
- December 9, 2001: Michele Hundley Smith left her Stoneville home to go Christmas shopping at a Kmart in Martinsville, Va., about 17 miles from her home, and did not return.
- December 31, 2001: She was first reported missing; her husband was the first person to report her missing.
- February 19, 2026: The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division received new information regarding her disappearance.
- February 20, 2026: Sgt. A. Disher and Detective C. Worley made contact with Michele at an undisclosed location in North Carolina and confirmed she was alive and well.
Family perspective and past recollections
The woman found in 2026 was 38 years old at the time she disappeared in 2001 and is now 62. She was a mother of three. In 2020, her daughter Amanda Smith recalled the night her mother left: Amanda remembered her mother kissing the children goodnight and leaving the house around 8: 30 p. m. at the end of that evening. Amanda was 14 when her mother disappeared; her younger brother was almost 8; their older sister was 19 and already out of the house.
Family reaction and next steps
Following the contact, the family was notified and informed about Michele Smith’s request to keep her location undisclosed. Amanda has described the past 48 hours as a whirlwind of emotions, saying she felt ecstatic, angry, heartbroken and conflicted about what a reunion might look like. She expressed gratitude for community support and indicated the family needs time and respect as they process the news.
What remains unclear in the provided context
The public record included here does not provide reasons for why Michele Hundley Smith left or where she had been during the intervening years. Details about her current situation and any further investigative steps remain unclear in the provided context. The case did receive renewed attention when it was featured in national coverage in December 2020, and community interest continued in the years that followed.
This update closes a long chapter for the family and for investigators who worked the case over the past two decades, while leaving several questions unanswered about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and what prompted the recent breakthrough.
