Amanda Smith shares her thoughts on whether she can “forgive” her mother, Michele Hundley Smith, who disappeared 24 years ago and has been living a different life since then.
Recently, Amanda’s mother, Michele Hundley Smith, was discovered alive more than twenty years after her disappearance. Police found Michele earlier this month after receiving new leads in the long-standing missing persons case. She went missing on December 9, 2001, after leaving her home in Eden, North Carolina.
Her family reported her as missing, which led to a thorough search involving various agencies across North Carolina and Virginia – an investigation that spanned decades and included the FBI. At that time, her family stated she “would not leave her kids by choice,” as noted on a missing persons poster. Her children were 19, 14, and seven years old at that time.
Now confirmed to be “alive and well”
More than twenty years later, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office announced that Michele had been found “alive and well.” At Michele’s request, her current location is kept confidential.
“Sgt. A. Disher and Detective C. Worley made contact with Michele Hundley Smith at an undisclosed location within North Carolina, alive and well,” the sheriff’s office reported. “At her request, her current whereabouts will remain undisclosed.”
Amanda Smith has candidly discussed her mixed emotions regarding her mother.
“I want to express my gratitude to everyone for their support, and at some point, I will be updating this page for other missing individuals [sic], but right now, there is too much happening to manage everything,” Amanda posted on her Facebook page, as reported by LADbible.
“I truly appreciate everyone’s love and support. I won’t be going into personal details at this moment, but I will say that my mother chose her new life, and knowing she is alive is enough for now.”
“I’m not in the right frame of mind to write a heartfelt message right now, but once again, thank you all.
Michele Hundley Smith’s disappearance
She has also requested privacy during this challenging time, mentioning that the family is “hurting and going through a lot.”
“I am ecstatic, I am furious, I am heartbroken, I am feeling a mix of emotions! Will I reconnect with my mom again? Honestly, I can’t say for sure because I don’t even know…”
“Initially, I would say yes, definitely, but then I remember all the pain… Yet, even so… My mom is just human, just like the rest of us.”
Amanda shares that discovering her mother is alive has stirred up a storm of feelings.
“Everything I have experienced in life makes me completely understand the urge to run away and leave… I’m not suggesting she should escape without facing consequences or responsibilities because she absolutely must do that…
“What I mean is that I also have a tendency to run, and while it’s not something I take pride in, it’s part of being human.”
“Each of us has our flaws, we all have a darker side, and we all deserve the opportunity to improve ourselves and heal from our past.”
“No one ever truly forgets this kind of pain”
Amanda stressed that every family member has the right to decide how they will react.
“I might completely forgive my mother at some point, or it could be too much to forgive, and I will just try to move forward as best as I can,” she wrote. “And I might choose to forget everything entirely, or I may never be able to forget…”
“Well, I mean nobody ever just forgets this kind of pain, but I mean forget it enough to continue with life… My heart, soul, and spirit tell me that I will forgive and I will never forget, but I will learn to see it as a pain that no longer has power over me. Right now, my mind says that would be crazy… But as I said, life is too short, and we are all just human; we all make mistakes and have caused others pain during our time on this earth.
