New details are surfacing around the case of a North Carolina mom who vanished for more than two decades. She was recently found alive and well and even still living in the state.
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It's been a bit of a mystery to her family, especially her three kids, on why Michele Lyn Hundley Smith left. Well, according to law enforcement, she abandoned her family because of "ongoing domestic issues." Exactly what that means is anyone's guess.
But Smith apparently felt the need to abandon her entire life. She disappeared in December 2001 while going to Kmart in Virginia, according to the
Rockingham County Sheriff's Office. No one saw her again until police found her still alive 20 years later."She said she left ... due to ongoing domestic issues at the time," Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page told People.
Police opted not to reveal additional details on what those domestic issues may be. However, she appears to be well and healthy. "Let me just say there were no allegations of any foul play regarding to her leaving," the sheriff said.
North Carolina Mom Could Face Charges
Police spent countless hours searching for the missing woman. It remains to be seen if the North Carolina mom may face charges for abandonment.
Her children are understandably shocked. One of her daughters took to Facebook to share her thoughts.
"As far as my opinions and feelings on my mom ... I am ecstatic, I am p—ed, I am heartbroken, I am all over the map!" she wrote in the post. "Will I have a relationship once more with my mom?"
"Honestly I can't answer that because I don't even know. My initial reaction would be yes, absolutely, but then I think of all the hurt ... But even then, my mom is only human, just as we all are," she also wrote.
"When my mom was a part of my daily life, she showed me a love and bond that will never ever be forgotten. There were mother-daughter arguments of course, but right now all I can remember are the smiles we shared, the times together that were happy, and the love I felt!"
