A North Carolina mother who went missing while out Christmas shopping 24 years ago has been found alive, but she did not want to be contacted by her family, local authorities have confirmed.
The woman, Michelle Hundley-Smith, was found “alive and well” in an undisclosed area of North Carolina, Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office investigators confirmed in a Feb. 20 news release.
The sheriff’s office said, “Per his wishes, his current whereabouts will not be made public.” “Her family has been notified of her location and also of this request.”
Handley Smith was 38 years old when he left his Greensboro-area home on Dec. 9, 2001, to do some Christmas shopping at a nearby Kmart, the sheriff’s office said. She was reported missing 22 days later.
Here’s how the investigation unfolded.
24 years after disappearance, detectives have new information about the case
Handley Smith’s family last saw her when she left her home in Eden, North Carolina, about 56 miles north of Greensboro. Her family said she left around 8:30 p.m. to go shopping in Martinsville, Virginia, about 27 miles away, and was driving a green 1995 Pontiac TransSport van.
After she was reported missing on December 31, 2001, authorities launched an investigation that later included the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Her family said on a Facebook page dedicated to her search that her van was never found.
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office worked on the case for more than 20 years to no avail. The office posted online requests for information about her case in both 2020 and 2021 and announced cash rewards for information.
On February 19, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division received new information regarding her whereabouts, but the source or further details were not immediately confirmed. Detectives followed up on leads and spoke with Hundley-Smith the next day. She is currently in her 60s.
USA TODAY has reached out to the sheriff’s office for more information about the tip that led investigators to Hundley-Smith.
In 2018, the daughter wrote a petition asking her mother to come forward.
“Mom, this is Amanda,” she began the message. “For anyone who sees this, please know that I’m not mad at you. I just want to know that you’re okay. In fact, to be honest, I’d rather know that you just left and are still alive!”
She said she knows how difficult life can be, but couldn’t watch her mother leave home and not contact her family. She said her daughter is battling cancer and doesn’t know how long she has left to live.
Amanda Handley also shared a poster made by her daughter with a hopeful message that her grandmother will be found.
“We can help find her,” the 10-year-old wrote.
After her mother was found, her daughter took to social media on February 22 to thank the public for the support she had received.
Daughter joins police in search of missing mother
Since her disappearance in 2001, Hundley Smith’s family created a Facebook page called Bring Michele Hundley Smith Home to keep her case alive.
In a Feb. 22 post on the page, Handley-Smith’s daughter said her mother needs to take responsibility, but that somewhere deep down she knows how to get out of her own way. According to her post, her daughter is also a “runner.”
The daughter said that when her mother came into her life, her mother showed her a sense of love and connection that she will never forget. She said the two sometimes argued, but there were smiles and many happy moments.
She explained that hearing her mother was alive brought on a range of emotions.
“I’m ecstatic, I’m angry, I’m heartbroken. I’m all over the map,” she said. “Will I ever have a relationship with my mother again? Honestly, I don’t know, so I can’t answer that.”
Now that her mother has been found, Amanda Handley wants to use the page dedicated to her case to help other families find their missing loved ones.
“I hope this page helps families reunite with their loved ones, or at least gain insight and closure,” she wrote.
Saleen Martin is a reporter for USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia (757). Email sdmartin@usatoday.com.
