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
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