Daughter detailed family turmoil before North Carolina mom vanished for 24 years before turning up alive

A North Carolina ma reported missing much than 2 decades ago and precocious recovered live was dealing with a tumultuous matrimony and struggling with intoxicant abuse, according to her daughter.

Michele Lyn Hundley Smith disappeared with a hint successful Dec. 2001 and was until past week an unsolved missing person’s case. The woman, present 62, was located Feb. 20 successful North Carolina aft detectives received caller accusation astir her case.

In a 2018 interrogation connected "The Vanished Podcast," her girl Amanda Hundley said that her mother’s matrimony was unraveling nether the value of intoxicant abuse, infidelity and escalating marital arguments.

Smith, past 38, near her location Dec. 9, 2001, telling her household she was going Christmas buying successful adjacent Martinsville, Virginia. She ne'er returned. For years, her girl believed her parent had simply walked away.

Michelle Hundely Smith disappeared aft leaving her location successful North Carolina to spell Christmas buying successful Virginia successful December 2001. (Bring Michelle Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)

Smith had precocious mislaid her occupation astatine a veterinary signifier aft being fired for drinking connected the job, Hundley said.

"My dada didn’t similar the information that my ma hid her drinking. I knew astir it, and I was the lone one, and I felt, you know, I was young, and I felt obligated not to accidental thing to betray my mom," Hundley said connected the podcast.

According to Hundley, her begetter suspected the drinking but did not afloat recognize the grade of it until aft Smith vanished.

"He said, ‘Do you cognize wherever she kept the bottles at?’ And I showed them we had a small reddish gathering outside, and it was afloat of rum bottles, the empties, the ones that she had already drunk," Hundley recalled. She was 14 astatine the time.

Missing ma recovered live aft 24 years reveals she near owed to home issues. (Bring Michelle Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)

The couple’s narration had besides deteriorated. Hundley said some of her parents had affairs during the marriage. She described predominant arguments that "got carnal a fewer times."

Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page told Fox News Digital that determination were nary records of home maltreatment involving the couple.

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In the months earlier Smith disappeared, the mates were nary longer sleeping successful the aforesaid bed, according to Hundley. She said her parent often slept successful a seat successful the surviving country portion her begetter remained successful the bedroom.

"If she wanted to permission my dad, that’s 1 thing, but to permission us, I conscionable don’t spot it happening," Hundley said successful the 2018 podcast episode.

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A missing persons flyer circulated astatine the clip of Michelle Hundely Smith’s disappearance successful December 2001. (Bring Michelle Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)

On Tuesday, Sheriff Page said that Smith told constabulary that she near her household owed to ongoing home issues.

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"She relayed that she had near connected her ain accord," Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page said. "She did notation immoderate home issues. When we made contact, she was safe."

Page told Fox News Digital that helium has spoken with the territory attorney's bureau and nary transgression charges volition beryllium filed.

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Michelle Hundely Smith was recovered surviving a caller beingness successful North Carolina aft disappearing 24 years ago, according to the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office. (Bring Michelle Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)

In a lengthy Facebook post on Feb. 22, her girl Amanda Smith wrote that the past 48 hours were a "whirlwind of emotions" for her family.

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"You are escaped to deliberation whatever, of course, conscionable delight don't enactment them retired determination for my household to see. Please respect my household bc [because] we are hurting and going done a lot," she wrote.

"My dada has been done truthful galore accusations since each the mode backmost then... Even earlier societal media was big, wherever we liv[ing] successful a tiny town, determination were galore ppl [people] acting arsenic if they conscionable knew helium was involved... Well helium wasn't! Of course, I ne'er thought helium was... My begetter has been done truthful overmuch and I privation it made wide that while their matrimony had issues (just arsenic galore marriages spell through) that my ma did not permission simply bc of a atrocious marriage. Everyone is entitled their opinions but delight retrieve that my begetter has been proven innocent."

Fox News Digital's Julia Bonavita and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

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