Replay: Michele Hundley Smith - Located Alive
The Vanished Podcast
Audible
4.5 • 15.2K Ratings
🗓️ 2 March 2026
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode originally aired on October 28, 2018. It has been remastered and now includes new information at the end regarding significant developments in this case.
At 8:30 PM on December 9, 2001, 38-year-old mother of three, Michele Lyn Hundley Smith, told her family she was going Christmas shopping. She left her home in Stoneville, North Carolina, driving her green 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport van with North Carolina license plate “ROK-N-ON.” She was headed to Martinsville, Virginia, less than 20 miles away.
Shopping at night wasn’t unusual for Michele. It wasn't long before Christmas and shortly before her oldest daughter’s birthday. No one thought twice about it. But by midnight, Michele still hadn’t returned. Her husband woke their 14-year-old daughter, Amanda, concerned that something was wrong. Michele never came home.
For more than 24 years, Michele’s disappearance remained unsolved. Then, in February 2026, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Michele had been located alive.
This re-release contains the original episode as it aired in 2018, followed by an update segment at the end discussing these recent developments.
If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.
Follow The Vanished on social media at:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This episode originally aired on October 28, 2018. Since that time, there have been significant developments |
| 0:07.5 | in this case. Last week, Michelle Hunley-Smith, who had been missing since December of 2001, was located alive. |
| 0:15.7 | At the time this episode was first released, Michelle's disappearance had remained unresolved for nearly 17 years. Today, after |
| 0:23.5 | more than 24 years, there are finally answers, though not necessarily the kind that anyone |
| 0:29.3 | expected. We're re-releasing Michelle's story in full, so new listeners can hear the original episode and |
| 0:35.9 | timeline as it was understood at the time. |
| 0:38.7 | Stay tuned to the end of this episode for an update on what we know now. |
| 0:52.5 | I've said many times, Mama, if you're out there and you're embarrassed, you don't need to be. |
| 1:00.0 | You don't have to be upset. |
| 1:02.0 | I'm not mad. |
| 1:03.0 | I just want you to come home. |
| 1:05.0 | I just want you to get in touch with me. |
| 1:07.0 | And I just won't answer at this point. |
| 1:10.0 | I still feel like she did not just up and leave, though. |
| 1:14.2 | To me, that doesn't add up. |
| 1:16.9 | I have all kinds of theories of what could have happened, |
| 1:20.7 | but they're just theories, so there's nothing. |
| 1:24.6 | It's like her and her vehicle disappeared, and we have no idea where, from what point it disappeared. |
| 1:33.3 | At 8.30 p.m. on December 9, 2001, 38-year-old mother of three, Michelle Hunley-Smith told her family she was going Christmas shopping. |
| 1:42.4 | She left the home in her green 1995 Pontiac |
| 1:45.6 | transport van, with the North Carolina license plate rocking on. She was headed for Martinsville, |
| 1:52.5 | less than 20 miles away over the border into Virginia. Michelle, her husband, and their three |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Audible, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Audible and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.