Imagine the astonishment of opening your door to find police officers there to tell you that everything you believed about your life was untrue.
Would you be in disbelief? Would you feel overwhelmed?
This is exactly what happened to Michelle Newton, 46, who disappeared from Kentucky when she was just three years old.
After more than 40 years, her mother, Debra Newton, has been apprehended in connection with her disappearance.
Debra and Michelle resided in Louisville, Kentucky with Michelle’s father, Joseph Newton.
The family had plans to move to Georgia, but in the spring of 1983, Debra left abruptly with young Michelle.
Debra had told Joseph she was ‘moving to Georgia’ to start a new job and ‘set up a new home for the family,’ according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Initially, she stayed in touch with Joseph over the phone, but when he made it to Georgia, they were gone.
An investigation began, leading to Debra being listed among the FBI’s Top 8 Most Wanted parental-kidnapping fugitives.
According to CNN, the case was dismissed in 2000 as authorities were unable to contact Joseph.
Five years later, when Michelle was in her 20s, she was removed from national missing-child databases after her record and the warrant were withdrawn due to ‘inaccurate information.’
However, in 2016, a family member urged for the case to be revisited.
Now, both Debra and Michelle have been located.
Earlier this year, Michelle, who had been living unknowingly under a false identity, received a momentous knock on her door.
She recounted to WLKY what the police told her: “You’re not who you think you are. You’re a missing person. You’re Michelle Marie Newton.”
Chief Deputy Colonel Steve Healey noted: “She told us she didn’t realize she was a victim until she saw everything she had missed.”
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released age-progressed photos of Michelle and Debra in 2024, depicting their possible current appearances.
This led to a Crimestoppers tip that provided authorities with a critical lead.
Earlier this year, they found Debra, now 66, residing in Marion County, Florida.
She had assumed a new identity, calling herself Sharon – but that wasn’t the only alteration.
Debra had created an entirely new life, remarried, and retired to The Villages with her husband, according to Fox 35.
DNA testing from Debra’s sister in Louisville revealed a 99.9 percent match to ‘Sharon’, confirming she was indeed Debra.
Debra was then extradited to Kentucky, where she faces a felony charge of custodial interference.
In Kentucky, there is no statute of limitations for kidnapping offenses – meaning there’s no time limit on charging or trying her for the crime.
Debra has pleaded not guilty to the charge, as reported by the Daily Mail, with her next court appearance scheduled for January 23.
After learning her real identity, Michelle contacted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
This led to an emotional reunion with family she hadn’t seen in decades, including her father Joseph.
Joseph expressed to WLKY his feelings about the reunion, saying he ‘can’t explain’ the joy of ‘walking in and getting to put my arms back around my daughter’.
“I wouldn’t trade that moment for anything,” he said. “It was just like seeing her when she was first born. It was like an angel.”
In the meantime, Michelle indicated to the news outlet that she plans to stand by both parents through the ensuing events.
“My intention is to support them both through this and try to navigate and help them both wrap it up so that we can all heal, and hopefully there’s just apologies and [we could] start healing,” she said.