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Woman found after 24 years on the run, arrested for preexisting warrant
A woman who had been missing for 24 years in North Carolina was arrested after authorities discovered she had an outstanding warrant that predated her disappearance.
Michele Hundley Smith, 38 at the time, vanished in December 2001 after leaving her Eden, North Carolina, home to go Christmas shopping in Martinsville, Virginia, roughly 30 minutes away. Earlier this month, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office located her after entering her information into a missing persons database and receiving a match.
On February 25, 2026, Smith was taken into custody by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at the request of Rockingham County authorities. Court records show she had a DWI charge from November 2001, a month before she disappeared, which led to a Failure to Appear warrant in December 2001. The underlying DWI case remains open. Smith has posted bail and is scheduled to appear in Rockingham County court on March 26, 2026.
Investigators confirmed that Smith is safe but are not disclosing her location at her request. Authorities said she left her home amid an ongoing domestic dispute, though she did not provide further details. She left behind three children and her husband. No allegations of foul play have been reported.
The Rockingham County District Attorney’s Office has decided not to pursue charges against Smith for her disappearance, citing insufficient evidence to file abandonment charges.
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