A mother who went missing 24 years ago has been found alive, with reports indicating she had been living a double life.
Michele Hundley Smith disappeared from North Carolina, USA, leaving behind her three children, who were seven, 14 and 19 at the time. Her disappearance was investigated by police and the FBI, reports The Mirror.
The mother had reportedly said she was going Christmas shopping just before she vanished. The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office has now confirmed she is “alive and well,” leaving her family in shock and still questioning what happened back in 2001, reports The Mirror.
Speaking to local news station WFMYNews2, her cousin Barbara Byrd said: “I kind of want to go outside and scream ‘she’s alive, she’s alive’. 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?” reports The Mirror.
In a public statement, the Sheriff’s Office said Smith had requested that her location not be shared. Ms Byrd added: “I understand and respect that she doesn’t want any of us to contact her. I’m not angry. The biggest answer I had today was she was alive. Nothing else matters right at this moment,” reports The Mirror.
Ms Smith’s daughter, Amanda, took to Facebook with an extensive post after learning her mother had been found. She wrote: “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,” reports The Mirror.
Amanda said the bond she had with her mother “will never be forgotten.” She added: “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. She said both her parents ‘deserve to have their choices and their feelings respected,’” reports The Mirror.
Amanda said Smith’s disappearance had haunted the family for decades and left them with numerous unanswered questions. The Facebook page dedicated to her case – “Bring Michele Hundley Smith Home” – said she had been driving a forest-green 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport van, which was never found, reports The Mirror.
The page added: “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,” reports The Mirror.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.
