Rockingham County, North Carolina – Rockingham County detectives located a woman reported missing in 2001, closing a 24-year investigation.
According to the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, Michelle Hundley Smith was reported missing on December 31, 2001, after she had last been seen December 9, 2001. At the time, the 38-year-old was believed to have left her home on Price Road in Eden to travel to Martinsville, Virginia, for Christmas shopping and did not return.
Authorities said the case prompted a multi-agency investigation involving the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI. Despite years of investigative work and numerous leads, Smith’s whereabouts remained unknown for more than two decades.
On February 19, 2026, the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division received new information regarding Smith’s disappearance. Detectives followed up on the lead and, on February 20, 2026, made contact with Smith at an undisclosed location within North Carolina.
Officials confirmed she is alive and well. At her request, her current whereabouts will not be released. Her family has been notified.
The Sheriff’s Office credited the persistence of investigators and partner agencies over the years for ultimately resolving the case.
The resolution brings long-awaited closure to a case that began in late 2001 and remained open for nearly a quarter century, drawing attention across North Carolina and Virginia.
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