Mom who went missing without a trace 24 years ago is found ALIVE living double life in North Carolina

A mother of three who went missing 24 years ago has finally been found after living a double life in North Carolina as her family wrestles with the gut-wrenching news.

Michele Hundley Smith vanished in December of 2001 at 38 years old after she left her home in Eden to go Christmas shopping, leaving behind her three children, aged 19, 14 and seven.

But after more than two decades of searching, Smith was found ‘alive and well’ on Friday by the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, a release announced.

‘I kind of want to go outside and scream, “she’s alive, she’s alive”,’ Smith’s cousin Barbara Byrd told WFMYNews 2.

‘For years, we didn’t know if we were grieving or waiting… My biggest question is to her, “What happened all those years ago in December? What made you leave? What happened?”‘

According to the sheriff’s office, Smith’s case was investigated by multiple agencies including the FBI.

On February 19, investigators received new information related to her case and made contact with her the following day, the release said.

However, all the answers may not be found with Smith’s reappearance, as the sheriff’s office said Smith requested her location not be shared.

Michele Hundley Smith, who went missing 24 years ago, was found on February 20 ‘alive and well’ in North Carolina

Smith disappeared in December of 2001 at 38 years old while Christmas shopping, leaving behind her three children, aged 19, 14 and 7

‘I understand and respect that she doesn’t want any of us to contact her,’ Byrd told the outlet.

‘I’m not angry…The biggest answer I had today was she was alive. Nothing else matters right at this moment.’

On Facebook, Smith’s daughter Amanda wrote a lengthy statement following the news that her mother had been found.

‘As far as my opinions and feelings on my mom…I am ecstatic, I am p***ed, 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. 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,’ she wrote.

‘When my mom was a part of my daily life, she showed me a love and bond that will never ever be forgotten. There were mother daughter arguments of course, but right now all I can remember are the smiles we shared, the times together that were happy and the love I felt!’

‘My dad has been in my daily life all of my life, and he shows me love and we have a life that will never be forgotten! There were father daughter arguments as well but all I remember are the smiles we have, the love I feel and the bond we share!

‘Both my dad and my mom deserve to have their choices and their feelings respected as well.’

Smith’s disappearance haunted her family for years, leaving them with so many unanswered questions.

A Facebook page dedicated to her missing mother, Bring Michele Hundley Smith Home, said that Smith had been driving her forest green 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport van which was never found when she disappeared

‘I don’t know what exactly happened. I’m not even sure til this very day if you are still here on Earth or if you have passed,’ her daughter wrote on Facebook in 2024.

‘All I do know is that you left a hole in people’s hearts! I cry and mourn for a relationship that will never again be, I cry and mourn for a relationship that was never had …and we will never know, will we?’

‘I love you and I miss you and that’s every single day. I’m angry because of the hurt but I’m mostly angry that my brother and sister had/have to feel hurt and pain. If I were to find you in life, if I was to find out that you did simply run away from everything… I am sure that I would still love you just the same,’ she said, adding that she believed she would still be angry for the pain her siblings also had to endure.

A Facebook page dedicated to her missing mother, Bring Michele Hundley Smith Home, said that Smith had been driving her forest green 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport van which was never found when she disappeared.

‘Michele would have never left her children by choice. We are desperate for answers and we are asking for community support and assistance in trying to find the truth on what happened to Michele and why she mysteriously vanished never to be seen again,’ the page said.

‘There has been no real investigation into her disappearance to this day almost 20 years later…Lets try and end this nightmare for Michele’s loved ones and bring her home.’

The page is set to be repurposed for other missing persons cases.