Michele Hundley Smith

Summary

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True Crime All The Time – Episode 491: Michele Hundley Smith

Release Date: April 23, 2026
Hosts: Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson

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Episode Overview

In this special episode, Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson (aka Gibby) dive into the astonishing case of Michele Hundley Smith—a woman found alive in 2026 after vanishing in December 2001. The hosts explore Michele's disappearance, the family and investigative struggles through the years, and her unexpected reappearance. The episode stands out as a rare true crime story where the missing person resurfaces alive after nearly a quarter-century, sparking questions about family, mental health, and the complexities of “moving on.”

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Michele's Disappearance and Background

• [01:17] In February 2026, Michele Hundley Smith was found in Robeson County, NC after having been missing for 24 years.
• [02:43] In 2001, Michele (age 38) lived in Stoneville, NC with her husband, Randy, and their children. Eldest daughter Amanda was 19 and out of the house; younger children remained at home.
• [05:03] Michele, remembered as a loving mother, left home on December 9, 2001, to shop at Kmart in Martinsville, VA. She never returned.
  • “Michelle was described as a loving mother. Her daughter Amanda recalled that she cooked their favorite meals and was always there to meet them when they got off the bus.” — Mike Ferguson [05:02]
• [07:27] Marriage struggles are revealed: Amanda shared in a 2018 interview that her parents fought often, both were unfaithful, and Michele concealed the extent of her drinking from her husband.

The Early Search and Suspicions

• [09:30] In November 2001 (just a month before her disappearance), Michele received a DUI charge; she then failed to appear in court by late December, leading to an arrest warrant.
• [10:00] The family didn’t report her missing immediately; Michele had a history of leaving after fights and staying at her mother’s.
  • “If that's kind of typical for her to go to her mom's for a few days, then you probably wouldn't want to jump right away to calling the police.” — Mike Gibson [10:00]
• [11:51] The watershed moment was Michele missing Christmas—a highly unusual break from her pattern as a devoted mother.
  • “That’s a big difference. Right. Going to your mom’s and cooling off for a day or two versus not coming home by Christmas and spending that with your children.” — Mike Ferguson [11:51]
• [13:18] Amanda (14 at the time) and her younger brother struggled immensely; holidays and milestones became reminders of their mother’s absence.

The Decades-Long Investigation and Family Impact

• [15:03] Theories proliferated over the years: was Randy (her husband) involved? Did Michele’s family help her start a new life? The hosts explore how both suspicions could have seemed plausible.
• [17:04] The hosts discuss the emotional toll of years with no closure — cycling through hope and disappointment with every tip.
• [19:59] As an adult, Amanda became the driving force behind the search, harnessing social media and creating a Facebook page, “Bring Michelle Hunley Smith Home.”
  • “The age of social media... what it’s done for allowing people to very quickly and inexpensively get the word out... Outside of that, there just wasn’t a lot that you could do on your own.” — Mike Ferguson [21:02]

The Breakthrough and Michele's Discovery

• [24:11] On February 19, 2026, new information led authorities to Michele, alive in Robeson County—only a couple of hours from her original home.
  • “On February 19, 2026, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office received new information that Michelle, now 62 years old, was alive. I mean, this is a bombshell.” — Mike Ferguson [24:11]
• [25:44] Michele requested her location remain private, though family was notified.
• [27:38] The sheriff’s office used Facebook to share the update, exemplifying how law enforcement leverages social media to reach wide audiences.

Family Reactions and Emotional Fallout

• [28:58] Family responses were complicated:
  • Amanda posted: “My mother chose her new life, and we know she’s alive, and for now, that’s enough.”
  • “That’s really big of the daughter to say.” — Mike Gibson [28:58]
• [29:41] Amanda released a longer statement:
  • “I’m ecstatic. I’m pissed. I’m heartbroken. I’m all over the mat. Can I see that we’ll have a relationship once more with my mom? Honestly, I can’t answer that because I don’t even know.” — Amanda via Facebook, quoted by Mike Ferguson [29:41-30:45]
• [32:02] The hosts discuss the challenge of forgiveness and the varying emotional capacities required for reconciliation, drawing on personal anecdotes.
• [36:11] Law enforcement determined there was no basis for abandonment charges; Michele, as an adult, had the legal right to leave.

Michele's Account and the Years in Hiding

• [36:45] Details revealed: After leaving, Michele lived with a long-haul trucker (Randy Johnson), traveling and staying under the radar for years. She resumed her maiden name but didn’t use an alias.
• [37:17] Michele told the media, “I had my own demons at the time, and I was in my own head and I had my reasons.” — Reported by Mike Ferguson [37:17]
• [39:02] Further statements from Michele cited her state of mind: “I honestly 100% never knew that I was loved or wanted when I left... I was just not in the mental state to stay. My children were not abandoned. They were left with their father to care for them.” — Quoted by Mike Ferguson [39:02-40:09]
• [40:42] Michele acknowledged heartbreak at learning how her family searched: “When I found out, it broke me. That’s why I’m trying to rebuild something with her, because what she did shows how much I really was loved.” — Michele, Daily Mail [40:42]

Family Dynamics Today

• [45:32] Michele’s brothers forgive her and express willingness to reconnect; Randall (her son) is more guarded:
  • “She’s nothing more than a stranger to me now. I’m not angry with her because that’s a wasted emotion, but I really don’t have any emotions, but I don’t wish her any ill.” — Randall Smith [46:11]
  • About reunion: “She’s been gone this long, and for someone to meet my children is a privilege in my eyes. That’s not one she deserves.” [47:28]
• [48:54] Randall discusses the alleged role of alcoholism in his mother’s disappearance—hidden bottles, unpaid bills, and planning her exit.

Reunion and Outlook

• [51:47] Michele and Amanda reunite briefly at Michele’s court appearance. Amanda expresses compassion:
  • “Life’s too short for me to hold a grudge against her because she’s my mom. We only get one life, and I want my mom in it.” — Amanda, WXII [51:47]
• [53:02] The hosts reflect on the rarity of such a case in true crime:
  • “Is it even really a crime? Now, she had some criminal stuff going on that she still has to work out. So there is crime involved, but the leaving... as an adult, even as a mother, you technically, I think, can just pick up and leave.” — Mike Ferguson [53:02]
• [54:14] They caution that while this outcome was positive in one sense, most long-term disappearances do not end this way, but outliers like Michele’s case do exist.

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Notable Quotes

“I’m ecstatic. I’m pissed. I’m heartbroken. I’m all over the mat. Can I see that we’ll have a relationship once more with my mom? Honestly, I can’t answer that because I don’t even know.” — Amanda [30:45]

“I honestly 100% never knew that I was loved or wanted when I left... I was just not in the mental state to stay. My children were not abandoned. They were left with their father to care for them.” — Michele Hundley Smith, Daily Mail [39:02–40:09]

“She’s nothing more than a stranger to me now. I’m not angry with her because that’s a wasted emotion, but I really don’t have any emotions, but I don’t wish her any ill.” — Randall Smith [46:11]

“Life’s too short for me to hold a grudge against her because she’s my mom. We only get one life, and I want my mom in it.” — Amanda [51:47]

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Important Timestamps

• [01:17] Discovery of Michele alive
• [05:28] Details of her disappearance
• [07:27] Family and marital struggles
• [10:00] Why the family didn’t report Michele missing immediately
• [11:51] Turning point: missing Christmas
• [15:03] Theories: foul play vs. voluntary disappearance
• [19:59] Amanda’s campaign and the role of social media
• [24:11] The case breaks; Michele found alive
• [27:38] Law enforcement’s Facebook reveal
• [28:58] Amanda’s public response
• [36:11] Why no criminal charges for leaving
• [39:02] Michele’s own words about her mental state
• [45:32] Family reactions – brothers and son
• [51:47] Michele’s reunion with Amanda
• [53:02] Reflections on crime, family, and rare outcomes

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Tone and Style

• Hosts combine empathy for the family with their signature lighthearted rapport, balancing serious true crime discussion with authentic, conversational “dad jokes” and warmth (“Cheesesteaks did. And now we’re ready to. To get recording.” [01:10]).
• Frank discussion about the gray areas of family trauma, forgiveness, and the mental health struggles underlying Michele’s disappearance.

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Conclusion

This episode of True Crime All The Time stands as a thought-provoking exploration of a rare happy-ending in a missing persons case—with a nuanced look at family bonds, trauma, and personal reinvention. The story leaves listeners with lingering questions about what drives people to disappear, the long-term emotional impact on families left behind, and the powerful role of mental health and social media in cold cases.

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Transcript

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[Mike Ferguson]

Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 491 of the True Crime all the Time podcast. I'm Mike Ferguson and with me, as always, is my partner in true crime, Mike Gibson. Gibby, how are you?

[Mike Gibson]

Hey, I'm doing good, and you?

[Mike Ferguson]

I'm doing great.

[Mike Gibson]

Awesome.

[Mike Ferguson]

We just had some Jersey, Mike. Cheesesteaks did. And now we're ready to. To get recording.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

So we're talking about Michelle Hunley Smith. In February 2026, Michelle Hunley Smith was found in Robeson County, North Carolina after being missing for 24 years.

[Mike Gibson]

That's a long time to be missing.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah. To be found later on.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

She left home to go Christmas shopping in December 2001, and her family didn't hear or see from her again until the authorities finally located her.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, there's times I've been Christmas shopping that I wanted to disappear, but not like this.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, right before you had to take out your wallet and pay for whatever it was that you were gonna buy. You're like, I'm getting out of here.

[Mike Gibson]

I hear that ching, ching, ching, ching at the cash register, you know, even now, you know, a lot of them are quiet.

[Mike Ferguson]

I was gonna say, I don't think I hear that sound anymore in my head.

[Mike Gibson]

I still hear the cha, ching, cha ching, you know?

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, I don't hear that. But, you know, you and I do have an unsolved podcast. We do totally separate.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

From true crime all the time. And, you know, obviously we are talking about, in many instances, people being missing for 10, 15 20, 30, 40 years.

[Mike Gibson]

We just last week we did one where she was. Has been missing for 30 years.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. So this is amazing for someone to be found after 24 years.

[Mike Gibson]

Yes.

[Mike Ferguson]

In 2001, 38 year old Michelle Hunley Smith lived in Stoneville, North Carolina with her husband Randy and their two children. Their oldest daughter was 19 and no longer living at home.

[Mike Gibson]

You ever been to Stoneville?

[Mike Ferguson]

I have.

[Mike Gibson]

Not right next door to Rockville, is it?

[Mike Ferguson]

Which is a stone's throw from Pebbleville.

[Mike Gibson]

Yep. And just over the hill where Boulder is. Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

I do love North Carolina though.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, I do too.

[Mike Ferguson]

You and I went to North Carolina.

[Mike Gibson]

We did one time.

[Mike Ferguson]

It was fun.

[Mike Gibson]

It was fun. It was a good time.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. A lot of great Lakes and a lot of great fishing lakes in North Carolina.

[Mike Gibson]

Nice mountains, some views and some big,

[Mike Ferguson]

big homes that we.

[Mike Gibson]

And some big homes toured. Yes, we did not. Not for us.

[Mike Ferguson]

No, they weren't ours. But now I don't know what it's like to have your oldest out of the house at 19. Now this is 2001. I think in the last 25 years things have changed quite a bit on that front. I think kids are staying at home longer. I saw a graphic on the news the other day that said like 58 or 60% of parents are supporting their kid, their Gen Z kids. But hey, I'm happy to do it. I, I like having my daughter home

[Mike Gibson]

and yeah, I know it's, it's, it makes you happy that they're. She's here, her and her fiance's here and it helps them out too.

[Mike Ferguson]

And yeah, they're saving up to buy a house and I know they'll leave and, but it's nice because she's been off to college for four years, so it's nice getting to spend some time with her before she officially leaves for good.

[Mike Gibson]

I did read a stat that there's an increase of podcast co host moving in with the co host with the other co host or the host.

[Mike Ferguson]

I did not read about that.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. That the host is offering the co host free room and board on top

[Mike Ferguson]

of what is already a free meal once. At least once a week, if not twice a week.

[Mike Gibson]

It's just more frequent.

[Mike Ferguson]

Okay, yeah, that will not be happening. So. Michelle was described as a loving mother. Her daughter Amanda recalled that she cooked their favorite meals and was always there to meet them when they got off the bus. Around 8pm On December 9, 2001, Michelle left home to go Christmas shopping at Kmart. And in Martinsville, Virginia, which was just a 30 minute drive from their home.

[Mike Gibson]

Kmart. The old blue light specials.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. You know, kind of a staple for us. Right. Growing up. You go to Kmart, maybe get a slushie. They always have like a little concession stand.

[Mike Gibson]

Exactly.

[Mike Ferguson]

We could get a slushy and a slushie. Michelle's daughter Amanda explained that it was normal for Michelle to go shopping in the evenings because she stayed home with the kids while her husband worked as a truck driver. And she often went to Martinsville to shop.

[Mike Gibson]

If you're stuck inside all day with the kiddos or just stuck at home, that's your opportunity to get out for a little bit. Why not, you know?

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, can't be stuck at home all the time.

[Mike Gibson]

No.

[Mike Ferguson]

I'm also getting the sense that, you know, where this town, where they live is, is not huge.

[Mike Gibson]

Right, right.

[Mike Ferguson]

Because they have to go to a different town for like the Kmart and different types of shopping.

[Mike Gibson]

Kind of like where I live. I have to go.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah. Michelle kissed her husband and kids good night and drove away in her vehicle. They expected Michelle to return in a couple of hours, but she didn't. And, you know, we've all. We go through this all the time. You know, we're at home. A family member says, I'm going to run down to the grocery store. I'm going to go to Walmart nowadays because there's no Kmarts around anymore.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

They're going to go to Best Buy or wherever it is. Is there really a thought in your mind that, okay, that person's not going to come back? I don't think most of us think that way, or if we did, we wouldn't be able to function.

[Mike Gibson]

No, we would.

[Mike Ferguson]

We'd be scared to death that we wouldn't want people to leave the house. Amanda's father, Randy, woke her up around 12:30am he seemed worried about Michelle. And I get that.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

That's four and a half hours.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

It's probably a mom who has to get up early with the kids probably normally doesn't stay out to, you know, past midnight or anything like that. But it was reported that there was some trouble in Michelle's marriage. In a 2018 interview, Amanda shared that her parents fought often and her mother was hiding the full extent of her drinking from her husband. She also claimed that Michelle lost a job due to her drinking, and sometimes their fights turned physical and Michelle slept separately on a living room chair. Amanda also said that both of her parents were unfaithful. So, I mean, you Know, probably hard to talk about your mom.

[Mike Gibson]

Sure.

[Mike Ferguson]

In that way, but, you know, giving us some insight into what each of them were kind of going through. But then also the. The marriage dynamic.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

And you just wonder, you know, how bad was the. The drinking and what role did it ultimately play?

[Mike Gibson]

You know, did the bad marriage feed the drinking or the drinking caused the bad marriage? Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

And the unfaithfulness on both sides. Yeah. On November 11, 2011, the Eden, North Carolina, Police Department issued Michelle a citation for driving while impaired and a civil revocation of her driver's license. And, you know, I watch a lot of the YouTube videos. I talk about them all the time.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

But I always like the ones where there's, you know, a police officer pulls someone over and everything just kind of goes sideways. A lot of those involve people who are impaired.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

Because their judgment is not what it would normally be, and they don't want to comply. They don't want to get out of the car and things go south in a hurry.

[Mike Gibson]

They think they did nothing wrong.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Sometimes. Michelle failed to appear in court that December, and an arrest warrant was issued on December 27, 2001. Michelle's family didn't report her missing immediately because she had left home before after arguing with her husband. She typically went to her mother's house and would return either the next day or just a few days later. But this time, Michelle was nowhere to be found.

[Mike Gibson]

But I get it. You know, if that's kind of typical for her to go to her mom's for a few days, then you probably wouldn't want to jump right away to calling the police, because you're thinking, well, we had an argument. She got, you know, upset with me, so now she's going to be over at her mom's, and she'll be back in a day or two, and then we can patch it up.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. It's something you and I analyze a lot in unsolved cases and on TCAT as well. But, you know, at what point do people start to get worried? And at what point do they make the decision that they're going to alert the police? And, you know, there are times when I think, oh, my gosh, I would have never waited that long. In certain instances. This one, I feel like it's a little different. First of all, we're talking about a grown adult.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

We're not talking about somebody under the age of 18 who can't make their own decisions. But like you said, we're also talking about a person with a history of kind of leaving the house for periods of time, cooling off, staying away for a little bit. So I think that would give you some, some pause because my thoughts always that, you know, people don't want to be wrong when they're, they're calling the police.

[Mike Gibson]

Yes.

[Mike Ferguson]

You don't want to call the police and have all these people show up and then the person come back while they're there or, you know, you find out that, well, they're, nothing's wrong, they're just, they're cooling off at their mom's house.

[Mike Gibson]

Could you make the case, though, that maybe you call the in laws just to say, hey, we had a little fight. Did she go over there? Is she there?

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, I think you, you could definitely make that, that argument.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

She didn't come home for Christmas with her children. And to me, that's a big difference. Right. Going to your mom's and cooling off for a day or two versus not coming home by Christmas and, and spending

[Mike Gibson]

that with your children, knowing how important that family time is.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. And, and she was very close to her kids. Right. She stayed home. She watched the kids. Amanda told Dateline, I'll never forget that first Christmas without her. We didn't even care about presents or anything. Our mom was gone. Nothing was ever the same after that.

[Mike Gibson]

It would be tough, you know, be tough to lose your mom meaning missing at any time of the year. But like around a holiday.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yes.

[Mike Gibson]

Or around a birthday. Right. It's gonna really stick with you. I think. A little, A little bit more.

[Mike Ferguson]

It is. Because, you know, as is in this case, she doesn't come home for years. So every Christmas is going to be a reminder. Right. Of what happened. On December 31, 2001, the family reported Michelle missing to the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office. Local searches were conducted, but neither Michelle nor her vehicle were found. Amanda was only 14 years old when her mother went missing. Her younger brother was not even 8 years old.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, wow.

[Mike Ferguson]

Amanda told Dateline. It affected all of our lives, but I think I took it the hardest. My mom, we were best friends. She was a really good mother, you know, but then became more of a friend when I got older and I have two daughters. You have a daughter? I'm very close with my daughters, but I don't think there's any doubt that they have a very close relationship with my wife.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, for sure.

[Mike Ferguson]

You know, there's just something about a daughter and a mother bond now. It can be very rocky during those teenage years.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

And it was for both of my girls. But Then kind of you get over that, and then they, you know, they become very tight.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

And that's where we're at now. And maybe they were a little closer with me during the teenage years because they were butting heads so much with mom, but now it's definitely switched.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. They have their little tight network.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, absolutely. And they, you know, they can tell things to mom that they probably don't want to tell me, and let's face it, I probably don't want to hear, you know?

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, I get that. I really do.

[Mike Ferguson]

There's just certain things I would just. I'll be okay if I never find out about.

[Mike Gibson]

Yes. Leave it with your wife to deal with.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

But I was thinking about this. You know, she's 14, the brother's 8. So I feel like there'd be a lot of pressure on her to kind of be like the. The mom to her brother.

[Mike Ferguson]

That's a great point. I mean, she's gonna have to step up and. And probably grow up a lot faster than she would have.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

If her mom was still around. Local, state, and federal agencies spent years looking for Michelle, and there was a lot of speculation about what happened to her. Some believed Michelle's husband was involved. Others alleged that Michelle's family helped her start a new life. And. Okay, I could see both of those. Right. The husband is always going to be in the crosshairs.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

When someone goes missing and. Or is hurt. We talked about the relationship maybe being rocky, not being great. Could you see a scenario where, you know, Michelle confides in her family that, you know, she's got to get away or something bad is going to happen and they help her start a new life. Yeah. I think you can see that. But you still have the factor of the kids.

[Mike Gibson]

Right. I guess it has to be so bad at home that you, as much as you love your kids, you have no choice. Choice but to leave.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

But then as a parent, you know, then you have to hope that whatever is happening to you doesn't shift to them.

[Mike Ferguson]

And again, I kind of. We kind of go through a lot of this on unsolved.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

I understand where there could be a scenario where that would happen, but you're telling me that you wouldn't want to try to get in touch with your kids at some point, let them know they're okay, do it in a way that maybe your husband, if he was abusive or whatever the situation was, he didn't find out. It's hard for me to think that a loving mother could just Say one day, you know what? I'm leaving.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

And I can't do it anymore. And I'm okay not seeing my kids anymore.

[Mike Gibson]

And good luck to them.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, that's tough for me. Not saying it doesn't happen. It's just tough for me. Yeah. Amanda recalled years were a blur after that. Detectives would be in and out of our lives, asking questions, working off whatever tips they got, but nothing ever led to my mom. And, you know, this is something that we bring up quite a bit. It's like this, the roller coaster of emotions in an investigation that drags on for years in a lot of cases. Okay. A tip comes in, you're feeling high, right?

[Mike Gibson]

You're.

[Mike Ferguson]

You're feeling like something's about ready to break. And then that tip gets kind of busted or debunked or whatever, and then you're. You're low again.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

And it's these highs and lows that I just think has to be really tough on some of these families.

[Mike Gibson]

Tear you up.

[Mike Ferguson]

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[Mike Ferguson]

as an adult, Amanda became more active in the search for her mother. She created the Bring Michelle Hunley Smith Home Facebook page to share photos and updates. She told Dateline in 2020 that was her father had since remarried and was still in their family home in Stoneville. He has health problems and struggles to talk about Michelle. According to Amanda, he believes she just took off and left him that night. And I guess that's possible, according to her. She said it's hard to rule out that she just left us all and started the new life. But there's also something that nags at me that something happened to her on the way back home. And I think if I was a, a kid, I'd be having those same thoughts.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, of course you would.

[Mike Ferguson]

It just kind of goes back to I I just can't imagine my mom would just, just leave us like that.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. Be strange, right? I mean, like I think about can my mom do that? And I no, I don't think she could have ever done that.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. The other thing I did want to talk about briefly is just the kind of the age of social media and what it's done for allowing people to very quickly and inexpensively get the word out. That's very true about the case of a missing loved one. You think about pre Internet, okay. Maybe you're putting up flyers, maybe you're lucky enough to get, you know, the local news channel to do a story.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Outside of that, there just wasn't a lot that you could do on your own. The social media, it just has opened up so many different avenues. And let's not forget about, you know, true crime, podcast documentaries Things like that.

[Mike Gibson]

I know my Instagram, I get a follow up several, like, true crime notification type of sites. And I know that I get this missing person one that they must put out 20, 30 new missing person cases a day.

[Mike Ferguson]

That's scary thought.

[Mike Gibson]

It is. You know, and as you scroll through them, it just. I just always end up shaking my head thinking, man, you know, why so many. Why so many scary.

[Mike Ferguson]

Amanda told Dateline that she just wanted answers.

[Mike Gibson]

If she.

[Mike Ferguson]

She said if she contacted me right now, I would. Well, I'd have a lot of questions, but she's still my mother. I would accept her back. I want her to know that. And I would just be happy that she's alive. My hope is that she's out there somewhere. She'll see this and reach out. I just wanted to know that I would accept her and welcome her back with her open arms. And I, you know, you kind of get the sense from that statement that, yeah, they do believe that she just kind of on her own or of her own free will, just took off and left them.

[Mike Gibson]

It's just sad to think that, that your kids would feel that way.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, what else are they to. There's really only a couple of choices. Right. Either someone leaves voluntarily or something bad happens.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

And maybe that first one is easier to think because in that scenario, she's most likely still alive. She's okay now. It hurts because she left. She left us. But maybe that's. That's better than the. The alternative. On December 9, 2020, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office issued a press release asking the public for information about Michelle's disappearance. But five more years passed without any updates. And, you know, again, going back to our experience with unsolved cases, you know, cases go cold. A lot of times they don't really get worked unless a new tip comes in.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

Right. Because they, They've exhausted everything they have.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. They have nothing else to go on.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. So unless something new comes in, there's really no direction to go, nothing to look at. And it's not unusual for every, you know, every so often for them to put out some type of plea to the public for information. But, I mean, how often does it happen? Right. How much or how often does it come in? On February 19, 2026, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office received new information that Michelle, now 62 years old, was alive. I mean, this is a bombshell.

[Mike Gibson]

It would be. Yeah, absolutely.

[Mike Ferguson]

I think for, for everyone involved. Right. The police, obviously, the family, when they learn of it, because it's just not the norm. It. It does happen, and we've seen some recent examples of it, including this one, but it's just not the norm most of the time. When people are gone for 20, 30 years, when they do finally figure out what happened to them, it's not a good scenario, unfortunately.

[Mike Gibson]

I'm just thinking, you know, when that call came in on February 19, they had to be like, freaking out, like, yeah, hey, we got, we got this case. It's going to probably be solved now.

[Mike Ferguson]

So. Detectives made contact with her on February 20th in Robeson County, North Carolina, which is about 175 miles southeast of Rockingham County.

[Mike Gibson]

Not that far, right?

[Mike Ferguson]

Not that far.

[Mike Gibson]

Two and a half hour drive.

[Mike Ferguson]

No, this is a person who didn't go clear across the country.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

Didn't go to California. Michelle asked the detectives to keep her location private, but the police did inform her family that she was alive and well.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, because they should know. That's a weird thing, right? Because she wants her location private. The family deserves to know she's alive. But then now, as the kids would sit there and think, wait a minute, she's alive but she doesn't want us to know where she's at.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. I mean, I can only imagine what that feeling would be like. Because it can't be good. No, it can't be good at all. The Sheriff's office said in a statement released via Facebook. What began as a troubling missing person report in late 2001 has now reached a conclusion. For more than two decades, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office remains steadfast in its commitment to seeking answers. On February 19, 2026, the county sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division received new information regarding Michelle Hunley Smith and her disappearance. Detectives immediately followed up on the lead and began further investigative efforts. On February 20, 2026, Sergeant Disher and Detective Worley made contact with Smith at an undisclosed location within North Carolina. And she was alive and well. At her request, her current whereabouts will remain undisclosed. Her family has been notified that she has been located and informed of this request as well. So, I mean, also, they're putting this out on Facebook.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

I just talked about the age of social media. Well, the authorities use it, too.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, that's true.

[Mike Ferguson]

Because it can reach such a. A wide audience so quickly.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, I mean, within. Not even minutes, within seconds, it can be in front of so many people on their Facebook feed or whatever social media they have.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, it used to be if you weren't sitting around the TV to watch Walter Cronkite. You didn't know what was going on.

[Mike Gibson]

That's true.

[Mike Ferguson]

But now everybody has a phone.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

And the news is, you know, up to the minute.

[Mike Gibson]

It cycles, and it.

[Mike Ferguson]

It's so fast.

[Mike Gibson]

Now the problem is with that is now you have to filter what is real. Oh, what is not real.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. And now you got AI AI on top of it, which makes it even harder. Yeah. We're kind of, I think, in some cases, on overload, for sure. It's like almost too much information is coming at you, and now you got to worry about what's real and what's not real. Yep. Michelle's daughter posted on Facebook the following day, Per NBC, I will say that my mother chose her new life, and we know she's alive, and for now, that's enough.

[Mike Gibson]

You know, that's. That's really big of the daughter to say. Yeah. You know, it really is, because we

[Mike Ferguson]

just talked about it.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

It's got to be such a tough situation. I could see on the one hand, you're very happy to find out that your mother's alive, but then immediately you're thinking, well, why would she do this to us? I don't know how a person couldn't, you know, have those thoughts.

[Mike Gibson]

Just for me, it'd be rough. I think it would stew on me. I mean, all night, the next day, I would just. It would just stew, and I'd be

[Mike Ferguson]

like, so what are you saying? It would stew?

[Mike Gibson]

It was still. I said, I have got things that I need to get off my chest.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, and I think you have questions you want answered.

[Mike Gibson]

Absolutely.

[Mike Ferguson]

But Michelle doesn't want contact at this point, which means you can't ask those questions. You can't get those answers. So that's got to be tough as well. Amanda made a longer post on February 22 defending both of her parents. She wrote, my dad has been through so many accusations since all the way back then. My father's been through so much. And I want it made clear that while their marriage has issues, just as many marriages go through that my mom did not leave simply because of a bad marriage. As far as my opinions and feelings on my mom, I'm ecstatic. I'm pissed. I'm heartbroken. I'm all over the mat. I can see that we'll have a relationship once more with my mom. Question. Honestly, I can't answer that because I don't even know. Yeah, I mean, I think you're right on the money, understandably, to be going through this very Wide range of emotions.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. Roller coaster.

[Mike Ferguson]

I'm happy, I'm pissed, I'm heartbroken, I'm mad. I mean, it's just, you name it. She went on to say, I can absolutely understand taking off and leaving. I'm not saying that she gets off scot free without accountability or responsibility. So I think that's, you know, kind of part of the gamut of emotions.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

You know, I can understand it. I'm not happy about it. Can I have a relationship with her? I don't know. Because she's not going to get off scot free.

[Mike Gibson]

Right. There's some conversations that are going to have to occur.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. And there's going to be repercussions. Now what those are, you know, I. Comes down to the individual people involved.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Can you forgive? Because that's a tough thing.

[Mike Gibson]

It would be tough.

[Mike Ferguson]

There are a lot of things that I would not be able to forget also. I'm probably not the most forgiving person in the world anyway. That's true. And I think you would agree with that.

[Mike Gibson]

Absolutely.

[Mike Ferguson]

But there are some things that, and I do tend to hold grudges way longer than most people.

[Mike Gibson]

Just a tad. Just a tad.

[Mike Ferguson]

So, you know, they're, they're. When people say, you know, they forgiven their son or daughter's killer. Okay. You are a much bigger person than I am. Yeah. Because I know in my heart that's just not something I'd be able to do.

[Mike Gibson]

I agree with you. I don't, I don't know if you could. Do you. Like I said, you.

[Mike Ferguson]

I hold grudges for pretty petty things.

[Mike Gibson]

You do.

[Mike Ferguson]

So if you're talking about something like that, no, it's not going to happen.

[Mike Gibson]

I remember you had one last year. I was like, well, is everything okay now? Nope. I'm like, oh, still holding that grudge on that person. Yep. Okay.

[Mike Ferguson]

They go 10, 15 years.

[Mike Gibson]

It went longer than I ever thought.

[Mike Ferguson]

We don't know. On February 25, 2026, Michelle was taken into custody in Robeson county for the 2001 failure to appear charge and was granted bond, the DA requested a formal review of Michelle's case to determine if additional charges should be filed. So, you know, after this news came out that she'd been found, law enforcement and Michelle's family spoke to the media. Sheriff Sam Page told WRAL that persistence, technology and collaboration with other law enforcement agencies was paramount in finding Michelle. And again, we, we mentioned it. Right. She's like just a few hours away.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. Not very far.

[Mike Ferguson]

It's kind of Amazing that you can just go a couple hours away and not be found out or noticed or whatever in 20 some years.

[Mike Gibson]

That just blows me away.

[Mike Ferguson]

It does. Page has been sheriff since 1998 and said his office has made many efforts to find Michelle. He said it's not stopped. We continue to advertise, put information out, advertise for crime stoppers, and let people know that we're trying to solve this case. We, we need help. We need that piece to the puzzle again. That's what you hear people talk about in unsolved cases all the time. Paige said Michelle asked them originally not to contact her family and they honored that. After locating Michelle, the sheriff's department conducted an investigation into whether she could face additional charges. Investigators considered possible abandonment charges, but Paige said that at this point, they don't have evidence or reason to support charging Michelle with anything else.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, just. She's an adult. She voluntarily left, I guess.

[Mike Ferguson]

And it's not a crime.

[Mike Gibson]

No.

[Mike Ferguson]

To up and leave. Now, if she was supposed to appear in court and didn't do that.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

That. That's something. Sheriff's captain Jonathan cheat told a. E. That the national crime information center database got an alert about Michelle on February 19, 2026, after an agency entered her information. And, you know, that's kind of what I was saying. Right. Not only are you just a couple of hours away, but look at the technology that's evolved since she disappeared.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

You know, all these databases, all the things that we do in our life that leave a digital footprint or could put us in a database somewhere. She had to have been really careful for all those years, I would think,

[Mike Gibson]

just to be cautious that she doesn't pop up somewhere.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. If she didn't want to be found, which obviously she didn't. In an interview with NBC, Captain cheek said that Michelle indicated there were domestic issues before she left of her own accord. The sheriff's office had no records related to such issues before she disappeared. A. E. Reported that Michelle was in a relationship with the long haul trucker for many years. They lived in his truck before they returned to North Carolina in 2013.

[Mike Gibson]

That's one way to stay off the radar.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. I think if, number one, you don't have to get a job, you know, because a lot of jobs, you got to fill out paperwork, you got to provide, you know, documents, things like that. Now there are some jobs where maybe you can get paid under the table and that, but those are less and less every year, I think. But to your point, if you're kind of Just traveling around the country with a long haul trucker. Maybe you can stay off the. The grid pretty easily.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, I think expenses are low. You know, besides the cost of the. Of the rig, which I'm.

[Mike Ferguson]

I'm assuming he already had or was paying for. Captain Cheek also told A and E that Michelle didn't use an alias. When somebody goes missing for this period of time, we always assume that they may have changed their names. She just went back to her maiden name.

[Mike Gibson]

Chu was like, I'm just going to go back to my maiden name and I'm going to live two, two and a half hours away from here. Yeah, good luck finding me.

[Mike Ferguson]

Even. Even more shocking that she wasn't found out earlier. When asked by the Charlotte observer why she disappeared, Michelle said, I had my own demons at the time, and I was in my own head and I had my reasons. Okay, pretty cryptic. You're not really answering the. The question. One of Michelle's neighbors in her rural community in Robeson county said Michelle had lived there for years and lived a quiet life with a man whom she said was her husband. And there is something to be said for, you know, living a quiet life, kind of keeping your head down if you're on the run.

[Mike Gibson]

Say you kind of have to do that if you're on the run, if you don't want to be found.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Which again, I do not think she did. This was not something she wanted. This person said she only spoke to her neighbor a few times. And when asked why she didn't get out of the house much, she said she kept to herself because her husband recently died and she was alone. A man was seen living with Michelle until he passed away in 2024, according to public records. One neighbor told the New York Post that their community wasn't a good place to hide because everyone knows everyone, but they didn't know Michelle's past. So again, a couple hours away, you pick. Kind of a small town where everybody knows everyone.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

It just didn't seem like the smartest way to go about it if you're trying to stay under the radar, not be found. But yet it worked for like 25 years.

[Mike Gibson]

It seems a little questionable, but like

[Mike Ferguson]

you said, for she didn't steal someone's identity. She just went back to using her maiden name. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Michelle provided further explanation regarding her mindset at the time of her disappearance. She said, I know that I made the news, but I honestly 100% never knew that I was loved or wanted when I left the mental state I was in, I thought it was my only choice. I was just not in the mental state to stay. My children were not abandoned. They were left with their father to care for them. My main thing is I want everybody to know I'm in contact with my daughter, Amanda. I'm starting with Amanda because she's the one reaching out to me, and she wants to start with her. She's the only one right now I'm in contact with. So I do want to break that down a little bit. I get it. She's saying, you know, her mental state was not good at all. Yeah, but. And. And she is making the argument that her kids weren't abandoned because the father was there.

[Mike Gibson]

Right. They still had another parent.

[Mike Ferguson]

But you could make the argument that she abandoned them.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, you could. Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

And now she might not want to admit that, but, you know, I'm sure the kids felt that way.

[Mike Gibson]

I'm sure that's probably maybe why the son hasn't reached out yet.

[Mike Ferguson]

Probably. Michelle also said it broke her heart when she learned how long her daughter and others searched for her. When I found out, it broke me. That's why I'm trying to rebuild something with her, because what she did shows how much I really was loved. Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

And, okay, maybe she really didn't think that the family, Anyone in the family loved her. I. I don't know. It's just hard to imagine that you'd be shocked to learn that these people were looking for you.

[Mike Gibson]

You know, Michelle was saying, look, I was not in a good spot mentally. I was. I needed to leave. That's how bad I was. And so you have to kind of think, as her, if. If she was in such a bad spot mentally, that the only option she had was, I either have to leave here or something really bad is going to happen that would be worse than her leaving. That's. That's the way I think you kind of have to look at it. Because outside of that, it doesn't make

[Mike Ferguson]

a lot of sense.

[Mike Gibson]

Doesn't make a lot of sense.

[Mike Ferguson]

But here's the thing. For me, what doesn't make sense is, okay, you felt like you had to leave. At a certain point, though, do you not have to reach out to your loved ones just to let them know that you're alive?

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

I think you don't have to tell them where you are.

[Mike Gibson]

No.

[Mike Ferguson]

You don't have to come back. You don't even have to have a relationship. But to not even drop a letter in the mail.

[Mike Gibson]

You're exactly right.

[Mike Ferguson]

That really blows my mind.

[Mike Gibson]

Put their mind at ease, you know, as best as you can. Yeah, I left. It wasn't because of you, you know, or your brother, but I had to leave.

[Mike Ferguson]

I mean, she was with the long haul trucker. She could have dropped it in the mail anywhere, 10 states away.

[Mike Gibson]

Exactly.

[Mike Ferguson]

They would have never known or had any idea where she was. So that part for me is a little tough to understand.

[Mike Gibson]

I get that.

[Mike Ferguson]

Michelle insisted that she hadn't seen the pictures, billboards, news or other media about her over the years. She was shocked when detectives came to her home saying, if I had any idea, I would have already called them and let them know I was okay. I didn't have to go back if I didn't want to. I could have just let my kids know I was okay. I would have never put them through that. I thought leaving them was better for them.

[Mike Gibson]

I think a lot of people are going to have a hard time with that statement that, that she didn't know

[Mike Ferguson]

and, you know, being only. Especially being only a couple hours away.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

And then later on is, like I said, the proliferation of social media and, and stuff like that, it's just. It's hard to believe.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, it's like, did you never look up your name to see what was going on? Did you never look up your daughter or your son's name and see some associated articles or something? That's the kind of things, you know, people at home are going to be asking, right?

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

You say you never knew, really?

[Mike Ferguson]

She explained that when she did learn about it, it was hard to watch all the media coverage and it took her a day just to process everything. When asked about initial reports that she didn't want family to contact her, she said, it wasn't that I didn't want to be contacted. I just didn't want anyone to know where I was until I had been able to talk with everyone.

[Mike Gibson]

That's fair. You know, if you need to, you want to reach out to your daughter, your son, your husband, whoever. Right. If you need to do that before they find out, you know, where you're at, you know, you just wanted to get that out of the way and be that person that delivers that news.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Michelle's brothers told the Daily Mail in a joint statement that they had forgiven her and looked forward to possibly reconnecting, saying, we want Michelle to know that we are so glad she's alive. We love her, we're not mad at her, all is forgiven. We would love to be in contact with her, but we understand that she has decided she doesn't want contact as of now and we respect her wishes. So we talked about, you know, you don't let your kids know that you're alive. We now know she had a couple of brothers or has a couple of brothers, didn't drop them, a line, didn't call them. Now again, it could go back to the overall mental state because I think that's what she said. It, it definitely can be just all around the relationship with her husband.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

Because her brothers didn't have anything to do with that.

[Mike Gibson]

No.

[Mike Ferguson]

The kids, they probably didn't really have anything to do with that. So now did that relationship put her in such a bad mental state that she just didn't want to talk to? I, maybe. I, I don't know. It's hard for me, but I, I can't say it didn't happen because I don't know.

[Mike Gibson]

And you know, 2001 versus today, I mean, 25 years later, mental illness has made a lot of changes.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, yeah, we know a lot more about mental health and then we did 25 years ago. Michelle's son, Randall Smith, who was only eight when she disappeared, told the Daily Mail, she's nothing more than a stranger to me now. I'm not angry with her because that's a wasted emotion, but I really don't have any emotions, but I don't wish her any ill. Yeah. So he's basically saying, I'm not mad at her, I just don't feel anything towards her.

[Mike Gibson]

Basically. I don't care about it.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah. But I'm not mad at her.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, that's his right, you know, I mean he's, he had to deal with what happened for all that time and he chose whatever path he wanted to, to move forward and that's where he's going to stay. You know, unless some reason one day he wakes up and says, you know what, I don't know, maybe I want to talk to her.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. And he might, he might. But you can't blame him. No, I, I don't blame any of the people in the, in the family for whatever emotions they have. Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean you, Michelle causes those emotions.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

On those. On her honor, she does.

[Mike Ferguson]

Randall, a happily married father of two, also said that his life turned out good and he learned to be self sufficient. Perhaps their lives would have been more normal if Michelle stayed. But he was overall happy with how his life turned out. So he's got a lot of positivity at least around that. When asked if he wanted to contact Michelle. He said, no, not really. She's been gone this long, and for someone to meet my children is a privilege in my eyes. That's not one she deserves.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. I think she's gonna have to warm herself back into his life first before she can get into the. Her grandkids life.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. And I. I think it's. It could be a long road. Yeah. Because let's face it, 25 years is a long time.

[Mike Gibson]

It is. And that road might ever. Might not ever open.

[Mike Ferguson]

No. That pain may never go away. Randall responded to the allegations of domestic abuse in the home and insisted his father did not abuse Michelle. He was a good father. And other than Michelle's drinking, they had a normal childhood. While they did argue about Michelle's drinking, it was because her husband wanted her to get help. Randall said she would just blow up, get angry. The threat of not being able to drink was too scary for her. And I could understand that. You know, for many people who have an issue with alcohol now, I've never had. I used to drink. I don't even drink anymore. But even when I drank, I didn't need to drink. And I don't know what that would be like.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

If you just couldn't go a day, an hour, however long, without needing to have a drink. I mean, that's. That's an addiction that can really take hold of some people.

[Mike Gibson]

It really can. No, I mean, it's one of those ones that. It's very hard, from what. From what I understand, very hard to let go of. Very hard to shake. I mean, that's why they have, you know, meeting places everywhere, Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

Sure.

[Mike Gibson]

Support groups. And you hear people about, you know, they get. They get the. Their chip after so many months, years. But then you also hear about how they lost that chip because it just took some stressful event and into their life to.

[Mike Ferguson]

To change that again and then had to work to start kind of all over.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Randall believes Michelle's drinking and the fear of losing her license played a large part in her leaving. He said that months after she left, they found gallon bottles of alcohol hidden under an old building on the property.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, that's a. That's a severe problem.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, that's somebody who has a serious problem with alcohol. He said her departure was planned because she packed jewelry. Jewelry. I have a hard time saying jewelry. Jewelry and clothes weeks before she left. He said, I can't say it was a shock at first because she had done it before. It was just something in her nature to run. He also said that after Michelle left for the last time. The family discovered that she had allegedly not paid the bills, including the payments for her husband's 18 wheeler truck.

[Mike Gibson]

I was not paying that kind of leaving him maybe stranded. You know, that's his way. He makes his money. That's not good. And if he's going to have to take care of these kids.

[Mike Ferguson]

And I just wonder if maybe she was setting aside a nest egg because she knew she was, you know, getting ready to leave.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

When they found the late notices, he could only afford to pay the household bills and had to send his truck back.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, that's rough.

[Mike Ferguson]

Very rough if that's how you make your living. The Daily Mail reported additional details about Michelle's life during the year she was missing. She met her partner, Randy Johnson in Texarkana and lived with him on the road. They returned to North Carolina, where Randy died in November 2024. Michelle said that Randy Johnson was someone who found me when I needed help. I traveled for years. We got together, and he kind of built me back up, made me feel like I was worth something. Randy never pressed her for details about her past, but eventually, she said, I just told him what I went through. On March 26, 2026, Michelle reunited with her daughter Amanda outside the Rockingham County Courthouse, where Michelle appeared for her arraignment. Amanda told WXII outside the courthouse, oh, I know everything is not black and white. There's a whole gray area. Life's too short for me to hold a grudge against her because she's my mom. We only get one life, and I want my mom in it.

[Mike Gibson]

Hey, what a great attitude it is.

[Mike Ferguson]

I. I don't know that everybody can do it, and I'm not sure that her brother can do it. Yeah. Because we haven't heard a lot about him other than to say he really doesn't feel too many emotions about his mom at all.

[Mike Gibson]

That's just right. And maybe that's the direction he's going to go with it, and that's what will bring him peace. Meanwhile, you know, if, you know, Michelle's daughter wants to have that relationship with her and she is willing to do it, you know, and looking past it because she just really wants to have a mom in her life again, you know, I think it's gonna not be easy, but hopefully for them, it works out.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Michelle's next court date is set for April 23rd of this year, which will be about a week after this episode comes out.

[Mike Gibson]

A too long way.

[Mike Ferguson]

You know, I guess as we wrap this one Up Gibbs is definitely a different type of episode for us. There's no murder, Nobody gets killed.

[Mike Gibson]

No.

[Mike Ferguson]

Is it even really a crime now? She had some criminal stuff going on that she still has to work out. So there is crime involved, but the leaving.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Unless they charge her with some things like abandonment or something like that. You know, as an adult, even as a mother, you technically, I think, can just pick up and leave.

[Mike Gibson]

We could have did this case like you said last year and talked about how, you know, this mom of two went missing and has not yet been found 20 some years later, still missing.

[Mike Ferguson]

And I. I can tell you, I know what my thoughts would have been if we had done that. Yeah. And it would have been that she met with foul play.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. Very, very possible.

[Mike Ferguson]

Because in my mind, I'm thinking, what mother just up and leaves her kids and doesn't even drop them a line or some way to communicate to them that she's still alive?

[Mike Gibson]

And how many times have we said that where the mom of, you know, the mom goes missing, has young kids at home, and we say, no way she would ever do that. She loved her kids. Well, here's the time where it did happen.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

And so then you think, okay, all those cases is one of those potentially where the mom actually did just pick up and go because she had. She mentally or whatever the issue was, could no longer be there. Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

I mean, it could be. I still think that by and large, most of the time, these people are not leaving voluntarily. Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

I agree with you.

[Mike Ferguson]

I still believe that. But there's always going to be outliers, and this is one of them. So it's still right now a little unclear why Michelle just kind of up and left her life behind. And there's still a lot more to come. Right. It remains to be seen.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

How much she and her family want to reveal to the media in the coming months. Like I said, she's got a court date next month. I think this is one of those cases where there's still to come out, some things to come out down the road. Maybe she'll give a little more clarity on why she left. You know, as of right now, she just has kind of said she just wasn't in the mental state to. To be there.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

She had to get away.

[Mike Gibson]

And maybe that will only come out to her daughter. And it could be, you know, because it's so private that, hey, no matter what I say out on the media, it's. I'm not going to be portrayed.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

Good. So, you know, let's keep this between me and you, and let's move our life forward. And.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, I could see some things coming out, some truths that there's really no reason to tell everybody. Yeah. I mean, she doesn't owe anything to the public.

[Mike Gibson]

No. Not at all.

[Mike Ferguson]

Now, you could make the argument, and I would. That she owes it to her kids for sure. Because she did really put them through what to me is an unnecessary hell. Yeah. Thinking your mom either a abandoned you.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

Which is what turned out to be true. Or thinking that your mom is dead.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

And was abducted and. Or killed by someone. Neither of those scenarios is conducive to a good childhood.

[Mike Gibson]

No, you're right.

[Mike Ferguson]

Now, I hope that both of these kids are not kids anymore. They're grown.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

I hope they're all doing great. But that it. It has to affect you. Something like that. And now it has to affect you in a different way once you learn that. You know, number one, your mom's alive. And then number two, she really did just up and leave.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. It was her choice. She made that choice. Yeah. Now she has to live with the outcome of it.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. And. And maybe they can smooth everything out and she can get to meet her grandkids and life will go on.

[Mike Gibson]

I hope so for everybody.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, I do, too. But that's it for our episode on Michelle Hunley and another episode of True Crime all the Time. You got anything?

[Mike Gibson]

Nope.

[Mike Ferguson]

All right, so for Mike and Gibby, stay safe and keep your own time ticking.