A US mother who disappeared in 2001 has been arrested, just days after authorities confirmed she had been found alive after nearly 24 years. Michele Hundley Smith was taken into custody near the South Carolina border after investigators determined she had an active warrant for failing to appear in court over a drunk driving charge in November 2001, according to The New York Post.
First Public Image in Decades
Smith’s mugshot, released following her arrest, is the first public image of the mother-of-three in almost a quarter of a century. The warrant stems from a failure to appear in court from a month before she told her family she was heading to a Kmart in Martinsville, Virginia, to do Christmas shopping and never returned.
Living in Secrecy
Her arrest report suggests she has been living in a trailer park not far from the home she left behind. Smith, who was 38 when she vanished, has requested that her whereabouts remain undisclosed to her family or anyone else, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office stated.
"At her request, her current whereabouts will remain undisclosed," the office said in a statement. "Her family has been notified that she has been located and informed of this request as well."
Family Dynamics and Emotions
Sheriff Sam Page noted that Smith did not explicitly say she wanted no future contact with her family, but he is unaware of any communication between them since she was located. He added that the family needs time to heal and offered his prayers.
Page also mentioned that Smith indicated there were "domestic issues" before she left of her own accord in 2001, but the sheriff’s office has no records related to such issues before her departure.
Daughter's Heartfelt Response
On Sunday, Smith’s daughter Amanda posted a statement to a Facebook page she created years ago to keep her mother’s missing person case alive. She defended her father and described a "whirlwind of emotions" after her mother was found safe.
"My father has been through so much and I want it made clear that while their marriage had issues (just as many marriages go through) that my mom did not leave simply bc of a bad marriage," she wrote.
She expressed mixed feelings about a possible reunion, saying, "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."
Case Closure and Legal Proceedings
The decades-long missing persons case is now considered closed, with attention turning instead to the outstanding court matter that ultimately led to Smith’s arrest. Smith later posted a $US2000 bond and is scheduled to appear in district court on March 26.
This development marks a significant turn in a long-standing mystery, highlighting both the legal consequences and personal complexities involved in such cases.
