Police have now explained why a mother who vanished from her home 24 years ago, leaving her husband and three children behind, chose to disappear.
It was confirmed last week that Michele Hundley Smith has been located after being missing for more than two decades.
Smith was last seen on December 9, 2001, when she left her home in Eden, North Carolina, planning to do some Christmas shopping. She never came back, and her family reported her missing.
Investigators launched what was described as an “extensive investigation,” but for years they were unable to find her or determine what happened.
The case drew fresh attention in 2020 when it was featured on Cold Case Spotlight, including an appearance by Smith’s daughter Amanda, who was 14 at the time her mother disappeared.
More than 20 years later, Amanda was told her mother had been found “alive and well” — still in the same state where she originally went missing.
Until now, authorities had not publicly shared what led Smith to leave in the first place.
In comments to People, Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page said Smith was doing well. “She was in good health.”
He added: “Let me just say there were no allegations of any foul play regarding to her leaving. But according to Ms. Smith, she said she left due to ongoing domestic issues at the time.”
Page said Smith did not go into further detail. He also stated that his office does not have records indicating domestic issues prior to her departure in 2001.
Amanda later addressed the news publicly after learning her mother had been found.
Writing on the ‘Bring Michele Hundley Smith Home’ Facebook page, she said: “I am ecstatic, I am pissed, 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.”
In another part of her statement, Amanda reflected on what forgiveness might look like going forward: “I may completely forgive my mother at some point or it may be too much to forgive and I only try moving forward best I can, and I may choose to forget everything completely or I may never be able to forget… Well I mean nobody ever just forgets this kind of pain but I mean forget it enough to go on with life…
“My heart, soul and spirit says that I will forgive and I will never forget but I will be able to see it as a pain that no longer controls me.
“Right now, my head says that would be insane… But as I mentioned above, life is too short and we each are only human, we each make mistakes and have caused other souls pain in our time on this earth.”