A missing mother of three children was found alive in the USA 24 years later.

American Michelle Hundley Smith, who went missing in 2001, was found alive after almost a quarter of a century. This was reported by The New York Post on February 22, citing the police.

In December 2001, a 38-year-old mother of three left her home in Eden, North Carolina, to go Christmas shopping and did not return. Her disappearance was considered alarming: the orientation indicated that the woman could be in danger and "would not have left the children of her own free will." Several agencies were involved in the search, including the FBI, which checked various versions, including criminal ones.

In early 2026, investigators received new information about the woman's possible whereabouts. After checking the data, Smith was found at an address that the authorities did not disclose. According to the police, she is alive and well.

The reasons for the disappearance remain unknown. The woman's return caused a mixed reaction from the family. Smith's daughter admitted that she feels joy, anger and pain at the same time, and does not yet know whether it will be possible to restore relations with her mother. The relatives also stated that for many years they had hoped that she was alive, but did not understand what had happened on the day of her disappearance.

The Guardian newspaper reported on January 1 that a woman who had been missing for 52 years had been found alive in the UK. According to law enforcement agencies, British woman Sheila Fox disappeared in 1972 at the age of 16 in the city of Coventry in the West Midlands. Information about the whereabouts of 68-year-old Fox was received by the West Midlands police department after the police re-published a photo of 16-year-old Sheila in the "Wanted" category.

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