North Carolina Woman Found Alive After 25-Year Disappearance Wins Dismissal of Decades-Old DWI Charge
Michele Hundley Smith, 62, who vanished in December 2001 after failing to appear for a DWI hearing, was found alive in February 2024 and had the charge dismissed in court this week. Smith had disappeared from Rockingham County, North Carolina, citing personal and domestic issues as reasons for leaving. The dismissal was granted due to the case's age, missing original police files, and the retirement of the arresting officer.
Michele Hundley Smith disappeared in December 2001 after failing to appear in court for a DWI charge from November 2001, when she was arrested in Eden, North Carolina with a blood alcohol level of .28. Her disappearance remained unsolved for over two decades until authorities received a tip and located her alive in late February 2024 at an undisclosed location in North Carolina. At a Rockingham County courthouse hearing this week, District Judge Scott Skidmore dismissed the DWI charge, citing the significant age of the case, the absence of original police files, and the retirement of the arresting officer. Smith told reporters she had disappeared due to personal demons and domestic issues, and has since reunited with at least one of her three daughters. Authorities found no evidence of foul play and did not file charges related to her disappearance, though investigators believe she had no contact with her family during the 25 years she was missing.
What different sources said
- NewsweekCenter
Missing Mom Who Was Found Alive After 25 Years Handed Big Court Win
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