Wife reported missing in 2001 found alive and leading a secret life, NC cops say
A “troubling” 2001 missing persons case took a stunning turn when detectives discovered the wife and mother was living a secret life in North Carolina, according to investigators.
A “new lead” is credited with solving the mystery of what became of Michele Hundley Smith, who vanished while going to K-Mart on Dec. 9, 2001, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said.
“On February 20 (detectives) made contact with Michele Hundley Smith at an undisclosed location within North Carolina – alive and well,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
“At her request, her current whereabouts will remain undisclosed. Her family has been notified that she has been located and informed of this request as well.”
Smith cited “ongoing domestic issues at the time” as the reason she vanished, Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page told PEOPLE magazine. He added that she did not elaborate further, the magazine said.
One of Smith’s children issued a statement Feb. 22, via a Facebook page created in 2018 to collect tips in the case. Media outlets report Smith was a mother of three.
“As far as my opinions and feelings on my mom ... I am ecstatic, I am (angry), 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,” her daughter wrote in the post.
“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. Everything I have been through in life, I can absolutely understand taking off and leaving. I am not saying that she gets off scot-free without accountability or responsibility (because) she absolutely needs to do that.”
A motive for 62-year-old Smith’s decision to vanish was not released.
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office says it never gave up searching for Smith, who was officially reported missing on New Year’s Eve of 2001 – nearly two weeks after she was last seen.
She was 38 at the time, and living with her family at a rural home in Eden, N.C., about a 105-mile drive northwest from downtown Raleigh.
“According to her husband, Michelle had left home to travel to K-Mart in Martinsville, Virginia, for Christmas shopping and never returned,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Over the years, the case drew the attention and collaboration of multiple agencies across North Carolina and Virginia, 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.”
The tip that resulted in her being found was received on Feb. 19, officials said. The source has not been revealed.
Smith’s children have defended their father in the case, noting he is a “great man” who faced accusations for more than two decades.
“Even before social media was big, where we live in a small town, there were many (people) acting as if they just knew he was involved,” a Facebook post states. “Well he wasn’t!”
This story was originally published February 22, 2026 at 7:26 AM with the headline "Wife reported missing in 2001 found alive and leading a secret life, NC cops say."