MICHELE HUNDLEY SMITH REUNITES WITH HER DAUGHTER AFTER 24 YEARS APART OUTSIDE COURTHOUSE. (PHOTO).

 Michele Hundley Smith Reunites with Her Daughter After 24 Years Apart Outside Courthouse

Michele Hundley Smith has been found and reunited with her daughter more than 20 years after she disappeared from her home in North Carolina.

The reunion happened outside a courthouse in Rockingham County, where Smith appeared over an old driving-related case linked to the time she went missing. 

Waiting there was her daughter, Amanda Smith, who had spent years searching for answers. “We only get one life, and I want my mom in it,” Amanda said.

Smith was 38 when she left home in December 2001 and did not return. 

At the time, her disappearance drew attention and remained unsolved for years. Amanda, who was just 14 then, grew up with uncertainty. “I didn’t really know what to do,” she recalled.

Investigators recently received new information that led them to Smith. They located her in North Carolina and confirmed she was “alive and well.” She was later arrested in connection with an old case after missing a court appearance shortly before she vanished. Authorities say there is no evidence of foul play.

Smith told investigators she left due to ongoing domestic issues, though officials say there were no prior reports on record. 

Prosecutors have indicated there is not enough evidence to pursue further charges related to her disappearance.

Reacting to the development, Amanda described mixed emotions. 

“I am happy, I am upset, I am heartbroken, I am all over the place,” she shared, adding that she is unsure what their relationship will look like going forward. “But she’s still my mom. I’m happy she’s alive.”

Their meeting at the courthouse marked the first time they had seen each other in 24 years.