A North Carolina woman who was located earlier this month after being missing for 24 years has been arrested on an outstanding warrant that was issued shortly before she disappeared.
Michele Hundley Smith was reported missing in December 2001 after leaving her home in Eden, North Carolina, to go Christmas shopping in Martinsville, Virginia. She was 38 at the time.
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office announced earlier this month that Smith had been found alive after her information was entered into a missing persons database and returned a match.
On Feb. 25, 2026, Smith was taken into custody by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at the request of Rockingham County authorities, according to a social media post from law enforcement.
Court records show Smith was charged with driving while impaired in November 2001. When she failed to appear in court the following month, an arrest order was issued. Rockingham County District Attorney Katie Gregg confirmed the original DWI charge remains pending.
Smith has since posted bond and is scheduled to appear in Rockingham County court on March 26, 2026.
Authorities said Smith’s disappearance had remained a mystery for decades despite investigations involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page said detectives located Smith in person. She told investigators she left due to an ongoing domestic dispute but did not provide additional details. Page said there were no prior reports of domestic issues on record before her disappearance.
Smith left behind her husband and three children in 2001. Authorities said there are no allegations of foul play, and at Smith’s request, her current location has not been disclosed. While her family has been informed she is alive, officials said they do not believe she has made contact with them.
The Rockingham County District Attorney’s Office has said it does not plan to pursue charges related to Smith’s disappearance, citing insufficient evidence to support an abandonment case.
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