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A North Carolina woman who vanished more than two decades ago was found alive earlier this year, authorities confirmed — a case an expert says highlights hidden struggles within American families.
Michele Hundley Smith, now 63, who was reported missing in December 2001, was located on Feb. 20 in an undisclosed location within North Carolina after detectives received new information about her case, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Sheriff Sam Page said Smith told investigators she left her family of her own accord and cited “ongoing domestic issues” as the reason for her disappearance. Page did not elaborate on those issues, and investigators have said there is no evidence of foul play.
Dr. Stephanie Johnson, a clinical psychologist, told Fox News Digital that voluntary adult disappearances often prompt questions about the internal pressures that may drive such choices.
“Michele was experiencing a lot of stressors and may very well have been suffering from major depressive disorder. When someone is experiencing depression, the mind processes information differently.”
In a 2018 interview on “The Vanished Podcast,” Michele’s daughter, Amanda Hundley, said her parents’ marriage was deteriorating amid alcohol abuse, infidelity and increasingly volatile arguments.
Hundley said her mother had recently been fired from a veterinary practice for drinking on the job.
“My dad didn’t like the fact that my mom hid her drinking. I knew about it, and I was the only one. And I felt, you know, I was young, and I felt obligated not to say anything to betray my mom,” Hundley said on the podcast.
Johnson said depression often manifests as persistent negative self-perception, hopelessness, feelings of worthlessness and social withdrawal.
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“On top of that depression, she [Michele] was drinking alcohol. Alcohol can make depressive symptoms even worse.”
Those compounded family and mental health struggles may have narrowed her perceived options, Johnson said, potentially leading her to believe disappearance was the only solution.
“She could have felt hopeless, like a burden and felt that there was no way to fix the situation other than to remove the burden — herself,” Dr. Johnson said.
Smith was 38 when she disappeared after leaving her three children at an Eden, North Carolina home on Dec. 9, 2001, to go Christmas shopping at a K-Mart in Martinsville, Virginia. Her vehicle was never found, and she did not return home. Her husband reported her missing later that month.
Over the ensuing decades, local, state and federal agencies participated in efforts to locate her. Despite periodic appeals and flyers distributed in the region, her whereabouts remained unknown for 24 years.
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Authorities say a recent lead in a national database prompted detectives to check on Smith’s status and ultimately find her alive. The sheriff’s office said they contacted her face-to-face and confirmed she was “safe and well.” At her request, authorities declined to disclose her exact location.
The New York Post reported it had located Smith in a trailer in a rural community near the South Carolina state line. Smith told the outlet she is trying to make amends with her daughter and the family she walked out on decades ago.
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“My daughter is forgiving me. We are in contact, so leave me alone,” she told the outlet.
Smith’s neighbors said she had “been here for years and years” and mostly keeps to herself.
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“We asked why she didn’t come out of the house much, and she said her husband passed. He passed last year… She was really sad about it. She said she was depressed and stayed inside,” the neighbor said.
Court records show that Smith had a DWI charge in November 2001 and an arrest order was later issued for failure to appear, records indicate.
The order stemmed from a DWI charge issued by the Eden Police Department Nov. 11, 2001. Smith failed to appear in court Dec. 27, 2001, for that charge, the statement said.
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On Feb. 25, 2026, Smith was taken into custody by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at the request of Rockingham County authorities. She later posted a $2,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Rockingham County District Court March 26, 2026.
The district attorney’s office confirmed that they will not pursue charges related to her disappearance.
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