A North Carolina woman who disappeared more than two decades ago has finally reunited with her daughter in an emotional moment that unfolded on Thursday. Earlier this year, Michele Hundley Smith was discovered alive, bringing an unexpected end to a mystery that began in 2001.

On Thursday, Smith appeared in a Rockingham County courtroom to address a DWI charge dating back to November 2001. After the hearing, she quickly made her way outside, where she was greeted by her daughter, Amanda Hundley. Emotions overflowed as the two embraced, marking the first time they had seen each other since Smith vanished from her family 24 years ago.

The reunion with Amanda was especially poignant for the now 63-year-old Smith, whose hair has turned gray over the years. The sight of her daughter after so long was overwhelming, and as they hugged, Smith expressed her surprise, saying, “Amanda? Your hair wasn’t this length. We walked right by you. I didn’t recognize you.”

This heartfelt reunion came after a long absence from her husband and three children, stretching back to the time of her disappearance. The case had left many questions unanswered until Smith was finally located in North Carolina earlier this year, bringing closure to a chapter that had lingered for over two decades.

Michele Hundley Smith, missing since 2001, reunited with daughter Amanda after being located in North Carolina. (Fox News )

“Amanda?” Hundley Smith could be heard saying. “Your hair wasn’t this length. We walked right by you. I didn’t recognize you.”

Hundley Smith was located on Feb. 20 in an undisclosed location within North Carolina after detectives received new information about her case, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office previously confirmed to Fox News Digital.

Sheriff Sam Page said Smith told investigators she left her family of her own accord and cited “ongoing domestic issues” as the reason for her disappearance. Page did not elaborate on those issues, and investigators have said there is no evidence of foul play.

A woman who vanished from her North Carolina family 24 years ago reappeared and embraced her daughter in an emotional reunion Thursday, March 26. (Fox News)

Smith was 38 when she disappeared after leaving her three children at an Eden, North Carolina, home on Dec. 9, 2001, to go Christmas shopping at a K-Mart in Martinsville, Virginia. Her vehicle was never found, and she did not return home. Her husband reported her missing later that month.

Over the ensuing decades, local, state and federal agencies participated in efforts to locate her. Despite periodic appeals and flyers distributed in the region, her whereabouts remained unknown for 24 years.

Michele Hundley Smith disappeared after leaving her home in North Carolina to go Christmas shopping in Virginia in December 2001.  (Bring Michelle Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)

The New York Post reported it had located Smith in a trailer in a rural community near the South Carolina state line. Smith told the outlet she is trying to make amends with her daughter and the family she walked out on decades ago.

“My daughter is forgiving me. We are in contact, so leave me alone,” she told the outlet.

Smith’s neighbors said she had “been here for years and years” and mostly keeps to herself.

Hundley Smith posted $2,000 bond on a failure to appear charge related to a DWI from the month before she vanished. (Robeson County Sheriff’s Office)

Smith appeared in court Thursday to answer to a DWI charge from November 2001.

On Nov. 11, 2001, the Eden Police Department issued a DWI charge. Smith failed to appear in court Dec. 27, 2001, for that charge, the statement said.

On Feb. 25, 2026, Smith was taken into custody by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at the request of Rockingham County authorities. She later posted a $2,000 bond. Her next hearing is April 23. 

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