ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. — A mother and daughter have reunited in Rockingham County for the first time since the mother disappeared nearly 25 years ago. Michele Smith was reported missing in 2001 after she vanished during a shopping trip in Eden.
Smith was recently located living in another part of North Carolina. She returned to the county to face a driving while intoxicated charge that was filed against her before she went missing.
The case saw renewed attention last month when local authorities publicized information about the disappearance of Smith. Though she was originally reported missing from Eden, investigators eventually located her residing in a different region of the state.
The reunion between Smith and her daughter was captured on camera. Smith’s daughter said she forgives her mother for leaving and expressed a desire to have her mother back in her life.
In an interview with the Charlotte Observer, Smith addressed the reasons behind her decades-long absence.
She attributed her disappearance to mental and personal challenges she was facing at the time.
“She disappeared for years because she had her ‘demons’ and was ‘in her own head’ at the time,” Smith said during the interview.
Smith’s return to Rockingham County was specifically for a court appearance. The driving while intoxicated charge she faced had remained active on her record since before she vanished in 2001.
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