A North Carolina mom of three, who disappeared back in 2001, has been pictured for the first time since her disappearance after authorities arrested her last week for failing to appear in court. Michele Hundley Smith, 62, was photographed after police took her into custody near the South Carolina border.
Investigators found that she had an active arrest warrant linked to a November 2001 drink-driving case, after she failed to show up in court, just a month before she disappeared while out Christmas shopping. Her mug shot shows a visibly worn and emotional woman, her eyes filled with tears after spending 24 years evading both her family and the authorities.
In Dire Straits
Smith was taken into custody at the request of Rockingham County officials and later released on bond. She is now scheduled to appear in the county's district court on March 26. The development comes just days after investigators located Smith at a North Carolina address on Friday—nearly 25 years after she walked away from her husband and three children in Rockingham County.
She had told her family she was heading out to do some Christmas shopping at a Kmart in Martinsville, Virginia, but she never returned. Despite an extensive search involving multiple agencies, she seemed to have disappeared without leaving any clues behind.
According to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, Smith later told authorities that she left her family more than 24 years ago because of "ongoing domestic issues at the time."
Found but in a Sorry State
However, her daughter, Amanda Smith, has previously said that her mother struggled with alcohol and was even fired from a veterinary practice for allegedly drinking while at work.
Authorities said there were no past domestic incident reports on record and no signs that any crime had taken place.
Since her mother was located, Amanda has said she still hopes for a reunion, even as she grapples with mixed and complicated emotions about what happened.
"I am ecstatic, I am pissed, I am heartbroken, I am all over the map!" wrote Amanda, now 38, on social media on Sunday.
