MISSING FOR 24 YEARS, FOUND IN A TRAILER — AND HER DAUGHTER’S “I FORGIVE YOU” LEFT PEOPLE STUNNED Michele Hundley Smith vanished just before Christmas 2001, leaving behind three young kids — and her 14-year-old daughter grew up with unanswered questions for decades. This week, deputies finally found her living a “new life” in a trailer hours away — and she reportedly reconnected with her daughter through a friend, insisting they’re in contact and begging the public to “leave me alone.”

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Daughter of missing NC mom has forgiven her for running away from her young kids 24 year ago, pal reveals

NC mom who vanished 25 years ago arrested — just days after family learned she was alive

The North Carolina daughter who has spent her whole life trying to find the mom who abandoned her 24 years ago reveals she’s “forgiven” her wayward parent after she finally resurfaced this week.

Michele Hundley Smith, now 62, disappeared without a trace in 2001, abandoning her 19, 14, and 8 year-old-kids just before Christmas. The sheriff finally found her living a secret new life in a trailer three hours away from the home she left in Rockingham County.

Her daughter Amanda, who was 14 at the time, has been in contact with her mother, a friend told The Post Thursday.

Mugshot of Michele Hundley Smith, a woman with graying hair, wearing a black and yellow shirt.
Michele Hundley Smith, now 62, disappeared 24 years ago, abandoning her 3 kids.Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office

“Yes, they’re in contact through a friend of Michele’s, and she has forgiven her mom, but she doesn’t have any other comments,” the friend, who identified herself as Lynn, said.

Michele herself claimed on Thursday to have reconciled with Amanda, who had agonized over the fate of her mom for her entire adult life.

“My daughter is forgiving me. We are in contact, so leave me alone,” she told The Post from her trailer in a tiny town in Robeson County.

Daughter of missing mom found alive after 24 years breaks silence — as woman reveals why she left | HELLO!

She recently was forced to return to Rockingham County to answer for a drunk driving arrest shortly before she vanished. She was charged with failing to appear in court. She was arrested, posted bond, and promptly returned to her home on the other side of the state.

The Rockingham County district attorney will not charge for abandonment, the county sheriff’s office told The Post, however she was arrested for an outstanding drunk driving charge filed just before she disappeared.