UPDATE: On February 25, 2026, Michele Hundley Smith was taken into custody by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office on an arrest order related to a failure to appear in court 25 years ago. She posted bond and is scheduled to appear in Rockingham County District Court on March 26.
On February 20, 2026, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office shared an update in a 24-year-old North Carolina cold case: a missing woman had been found safe. “For more than two decades, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office remained steadfast in its commitment to seeking answers,” the sheriff’s office posted in a statement on Facebook.
Thirty-eight-year-old Michele Hundley Smith left her Stoneville home on December 9, 2001, telling her family she was going Christmas shopping in nearby Martinsville, Virginia. She never returned home.
Michele was reported missing on December 31, 2001, and according to the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office press release, “an extensive investigation was immediately launched.” They pursued numerous leads and collaborated with multiple agencies across North Carolina and Virginia.
In December 2020, Dateline featured Michele’s case in our “Cold Case Spotlight” series. At the time, we spoke with Michele’s daughter, Amanda Smith, who was only 14 when her mom disappeared. “I was just a teenager at the time and didn’t really know what to do,” she said.
Amanda told Dateline her father believed Michele just took off and left them that night. And while Amanda had many thoughts about what could have happened to her mom, she couldn’t rule that possibility out, either. “If she contacted me right now, I would --. Well, I’d have a lot of questions,” she said. “But she’s still my mother. I would accept her back. I want her to know that. And I would just be happy that she’s alive.”
Six years after that interview, Amanda received the news that her mother has been located alive.
“On February 19, 2026, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division received new information regarding [Michele Hundley Smith] and her disappearance,” their press release states. “On February 20, 2026, Sgt. A. Disher and Detective C. Worley made contact with [Michele] at an undisclosed location within North Carolina alive and well.”
At Michele’s request, her current whereabouts will remain undisclosed, according to the sheriff’s office. They did not provide any information as to why Michele went missing.
On Sunday, Amanda shared her thoughts about the recent development on the “Bring Michele Hundley Smith Home” Facebook page. “These last couple of days, well not even a full 48 hours have been a whirlwind of emotions,” she wrote. “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 bc 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.”
At the end of the day, Amanda is grateful to the community for their support, and hopes they understand that the family needs some time and respect as they deal with the news. “Thank you again to all of you for your concern, your support, your love, your comforting words. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your kindness, your love, your empathy and sympathy,” she said in the Facebook post.
Amanda also stated that she would likely change the name of the Facebook group and would now use it as a platform to help other families of missing people.
If you have a story to share with Dateline, please submit it here.
