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Tag: missing person's case

  • Wife reported missing in 2001 found alive and leading a secret life, NC cops say

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    A new lead is credited with solving the mystery of what became of Michelle Hundley Smith, who vanished while going to K-Mart on Dec. 9, 2001, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said.

    A new lead is credited with solving the mystery of what became of Michelle Hundley Smith, who vanished while going to K-Mart on Dec. 9, 2001, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said.

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    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 Michelle 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 Michelle Hundely 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.”

    One of Smith’s children issued a statement Feb. 21, via a Facebook page created in 2018 to collect tips in the case.

    “There is too much going on to deal with everything,” the statement said. “The personal details are not going to be dived into right now, but I will say that my mother chose her new life, and we know she is alive, and for now that is enough. I can’t really think straight right now.”

    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, Michelle Hundely 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.

    This story was originally published February 22, 2026 at 7:26 AM.

    Mark Price

    The Charlotte Observer

    Mark Price is a National Reporter for McClatchy News. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology.

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    Mark Price

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  • Mysterious submerged vehicle belongs to man missing since 2003, NC sheriff says

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    This crumpled Pontiac belongs to Travis Lamont Lynch who went missing on Christmas Eve in 2003, North Carolina investigators say.

    This crumpled Pontiac belongs to Travis Lamont Lynch who went missing on Christmas Eve in 2003, North Carolina investigators say.

    Nash County Sheriff’s Office photo

    A crumpled Pontiac found submerged in a creek belongs to a man who went missing on Christmas Eve in 2003, according to investigators in North Carolina.

    However, deputies did not report finding the remains of 22-year-old Travis Lamont Lynch.

    His car was spotted around 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10, in Turkey Creek, about 17 miles northeast of Wilson, officials say. A license plate was used to identify the vehicle as belonging to Lynch.

    “A citizen contacted authorities to report a vehicle submerged in the water near Old Middlesex Road and Turkey Creek. Deputies from the Nash County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and confirmed the presence of a white Pontiac passenger vehicle,” the sheriff’s office says.

    “The investigation identified the vehicle, (1992 Pontiac Grand AM), as belonging to Travis Lamont Lynch, who was reported missing in 2003. The vehicle was successfully recovered from the water and the Nash County Sheriff’s Office is currently processing and evaluating evidence.”

    The department has requested the assistance of the FBI Submersion Evidence team “to conduct further investigation of the area.”

    Maps show a two-lane bridge crosses Turkey Creek on Old Middlesex Road, and the area is heavily wooded.

    Lynch was last seen driving the car as he left his girlfriend’s home in the Middlesex area “in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve 2003,” the sheriff’s office says.

    “He intended to return to his home in Wilson, NC, but never arrived and did not contact any of his family,” officials say.

    He was supposed to alert his girlfriend when he got safely home that morning, but that call never came, according to the Charley Project. He was reported missing by his mother two days later, the site says.

    Middlesex is about a 30-mile drive east from downtown Raleigh.

    This story was originally published December 12, 2025 at 8:25 AM.

    Mark Price

    The Charlotte Observer

    Mark Price is a National Reporter for McClatchy News. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology.

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    Mark Price

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  • Brothers, 9 and 12, missing from South Side considered high risk: CPD

    Brothers, 9 and 12, missing from South Side considered high risk: CPD

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    CHICAGO — Two brothers were reported missing from Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood on Monday evening and are considered high risk due to their medical needs, police said.

    According to police, 12-year-old Rickey Burrage and his nine-year-old brother named Rashed Burrage are in need of medical attention.

    The two were last seen Monday around 5:00 p.m. bear the corner of 62nd and South Emerald Drive in Englewood, and they are considered high risk due to the medical attention they need, police said.

    Ricky is 5 foot three inches and weighs 80 pounds while his younger brother Rashed is 5 foot two inches and weighs 75 pounds. They were both seen wearing t-shirts and backpacks.

    The brothers went missing back in August of 2023.

    If any information is recovered on the brothers, contact police immediately. WGN is actively following the incident and will update as more information is recovered.

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    Neshmia Malik

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