True Crime Society – Missing people found alive – Michele Hundley Smith and Royal ‘Scoop’ Daniel III

MICHELE HUNDLEY SMITH

Michele Hundley Smith was 38 years old when she went missing from North Carolina on December 9, 2001.  On February 20, 2026, authorities made a statement that Michele was found alive and well and did not want any contact with her family. 

Michele was living in either Stoneville or Eden, North Carolina in 2001.  

She lived with her husband and her three children – a daughter who was 19 at the time, Amanda (who is named as she has been very vocal during the search for her mother), who was 14, and a 7 year old son.  Michele’s husband has never been named publicly.

Amanda would later say that her parents’ marriage was tumultuous.  Both Michele and her husband struggled with alcohol abuse and they often fought.  Both of them were known to have cheated on the other.  There were no official records of any domestic issues on file with authorities.

On the night of Sunday December 9, 2001, Michele told Amanda that she was going to go Christmas shopping at a K-Mart in Martinsville, Virginia.  This was around a 30 minute drive from her home.  Amanda wanted to go with her mother, but Michele said no as she was planning to buy her Christmas gifts.

Michele left the home in her green 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport Van with the license plate “ROK-N-ON”.  She was never seen again.  

Amanda spoke about how Michele missed the family Christmas in 2001.  “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.” She also says that she and her mother were “best friends” and that Michele was “a really good mother…we had a special bond.”

On December 31, 2001, Michele’s husband reported her missing.  This was 22 days after she was last seen.  Authorities who were involved in the search for her included the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This info about the case is from an archived version of the Charley Project:

She stated her father, after Smith disappeared, assumed she’d simply left. He claimed she had removed an unspecified amount of money from their bank account before leaving the house that night. However, Smith’s other relatives never believed she would have left on her own, as she was close to her mother and they don’t think she would have abandoned her or her three children.

Smith routinely carried a purse containing her wallet, her own Social Security card and the cards of her children. About five years after Smith went missing, someone in Cumberland, Maryland used her daughter’s Social Security number. This person has never been identified and it’s not clear whether this has any relationship with Smith’s case.

In 2018, Amanda made this post on social media, begging for information.

“Mama, this is Amanda,” she started the message. “If you see this please know that I am not mad at you and I just want to know that you are safe … in fact to be honest I would rather find out that you had just left and that you are still alive!”

Amanda has said that she could never see her mother leaving and not contacting her family.  Amanda also said at one point that she had cancer and wanted to find out what happened to her mother in case the worst happened. 

Amanda told Dateline what her father thought about Michele’s disappearance.

“He believes she just took off and left him, and us, that night.”

In 2018, a podcast called ‘The Vanished’  released an episode on Michele’s disappearance.  In the episode, they interviewed Amanda.

These are some points taken from the episode – this was 17 years after Michele vanished:

• Michele struggled with alcohol abuse.  After she disappeared, Amanda told her father about the drinking and showed him a shed in their yard that was filled with empty rum bottles that Michele had stashed there.
• Michele had been fired from her job at a veterinary practice for drinking at work.
• Amanda said her parents were unhappy in their marriage and they slept apart.
• She also said that her older sister’s birthday was 18 December and she struggled to believe that her mother would have left before that and Christmas voluntarily.
• Michele had lost her license at the time that she disappeared.  She apparently lost it after crossing over lines on the road and was due in court.  She did not appear in court and Amanda thought she may reappear once the statute of limitations on that charge was up.
• As of 2018, there had been not a single sighting of Michele or her van.
• One theory discussed in the episode was that Michele’s car left the road and crashed somewhere out of sight.  The night she disappeared was clear – no rain and snow.  There were also no waterways on the route she would have taken to the store.
• Amanda raised the possibility that her mother may have been in an accident and was suffering from amnesia.  
• When Michele disappeared, she had both her own and her children’s social security cards with her.  Around five years after she vanished, a letter arrived at her original home from Cumberland, Maryland.  The letter was addressed to Michele.  The letter stated that Amanda’s social security number had been used for an ambulance.  Amanda said she tried to get more information about this but was unable to.  She said she was unable to visit Cumberland to try to investigate – it is around a 5.5 hour drive from Stoneville.
• Amanda also theorised that perhaps Michele had passed away accidentally following a fight with her husband.
• Michele’s husband got a new partner in July 2002, around 7 months after she disappeared.  Amanda said he refused to speak about Michele, except to say at one point that she had left a note behind.  Amanda never saw the note and it’s unclear if it really existed.
• Michele’s husband also alleged early on that Michele was siphoning money from their accounts – small amounts so that he would not notice.  This would have meant she had enough to leave with.

The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office worked on the case for more than two decades to no avail. The office posted online asking for information about her case in both 2020 and 2021 and announced a cash reward for information.

Michele’s daughter Amanda created a Facebook page called ‘ Bring Michele Hundley Smith Home.’  

Michele’s mother passed away in 2025, never knowing what happened to her daughter.

On February 19, 2026, detectives at the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division received information about Michele’s whereabouts.  

Detectives followed up and spoke to Michele.  She is now in her 60’s.  Michele told authorities that she did not want to be in contact with her family and does not want her location disclosed to them.

“On February 20 (detectives) made contact with Michelle Hundley Smith at an undisclosed location within North Carolina – alive and well,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “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.”

Michele told authorities that she had left due to ‘ ongoing domestic issues.’  She did not elaborate on what she meant.  

According to wfmy news:

Twenty-four years later, Sheriff Page said Smith’s information was recently entered into an online database, which then alerted detectives to her whereabouts. 

Court records show Smith had a DWI charge in November 2001, a month before her disappearance, which led to an arrest order for Failure to Appear in late December 2001. Rockingham County District Attorney Katie Gregg confirmed the underlying DWI charge remains outstanding.

According to Sheriff Page, the Rockingham County District Attorney’s office won’t pursue any charges against Smith related to her disappearance after consulting with detectives on the case. Gregg confirmed with WFMY News 2 that there is not enough evidence to bring charges of abandonment against Smith.

However, Gregg said she believes Smith should be served with the outstanding DWI warrant, and Page said the Sheriff’s Office plans to serve the outstanding warrant against her.

This is some information regarding what Amanda said about believing the statute of limitations was up:

A previous version of this story said that Smith’s arrest order for failing to appear in court after being charged with DWI was dismissed in 2002. We have clarified with the District Attorney’s office that Smith still has an outstanding charge for DWI and can be served for this charge at any time, by any law enforcement agency. 

Amanda wrote on Facebook “The personal details are not going to be dived into right now, but I will say that my mother chose her new life, and we know she is alive, and for now that is enough. I can’t really think straight right now.”

Michele’s cousin, Barbara Byrd, told WFMYNews 2: “I kind of want to go outside and scream, ‘She’s alive, she’s alive!’ My biggest question is to her… What happened all those years ago in December? What made you leave? What happened?’

“I understand and respect that she doesn’t want any of us to contact her. I’m not angry. The biggest answer I had today was she was alive. Nothing else matters right at this moment.”

Amanda has spoken about the mixed emotions she is feeling.  “I am ecstatic, I am pissed, I am heartbroken, I am all over the map,” she said. “Will I have a relationship once more with my mom? Honestly I can’t answer that [because] I don’t even know.”

“Everything I have been through in life, I can absolutely understand taking off and leaving… I am not saying that she gets off scot-free without accountability or responsibility bc she absolutely needs to do that… What I am saying is that I am a runner as well and while this isn’t something to be proud of at all, it’s a part of being human.”

Amanda also spoke about the accusations that her father had faced over the years.  She said that he is a “great man” who faced accusations for more than two decades. “Even before social media was big, where we live in a small town, there were many (people) acting as if they just knew he was involved,” a Facebook post states. “Well he wasn’t!”

On Monday February 23, 2026, Michele was taken into custody.

This info is from KPLCTV:

Michele  was arrested after the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office asked the Robeson County Sheriff’s Department to take her into custody on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear.

The order stems from a DWI charge on Nov. 11, 2001. The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said Smith failed to appear in court on Dec. 27, 2001, for this charge.

Michele posted a $2,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Rockingham County District Court on March 26.

The NY Post released an article on her arrest and roasted Michele.

Her mug shot shows her now haggard, and teary eyed. after 24 years on the run from her family and the law.

Her arrest report suggests she is living in a trailer park in one of the poorest corners of the state — about two hours from the family home she abandoned. 

A new article outlines how Michele was still able to be charged, so long after her DWI.

Local attorney Jason Keith says arrest warrants do not expire.

“There’s an active arrest warrant that’s been issued by a judge. The sheriff has to serve it — whether it’s 24 years, 50 years or 100 years — because a person cannot evade the criminal prosecution laws in their jurisdiction,” Keith said. “Arrest warrants are forever, in essence, until they’re served.”

Keith says whether the DWI case ultimately moves forward will be up to the district attorney and will depend on what evidence still exists after more than two decades.

“What evidence is still going to exist 24 years later in a criminal prosecution? And will the prosecutor’s office elect to try to prosecute a case 24 years later, understanding that pretty much all the actors, evidence, witnesses involved will probably either have forgotten or possibly be no longer available because they moved, or sometimes passed away,” Keith explained. 

According to Eden police, DWI charges in 2001 were typically written as citations, meaning there is no full incident report on file. We learned the officer who charged Smith retired in 2009 but will likely be called to testify if the case proceeds.”

ROYAL ‘SCOOP’DANIEL III

The second case we are going to discuss is that of Colorado attorney Royal ‘Scoop’ Daniel III.  

Scoop disappeared in April 2007 and was found alive in 2011.  

Scoop was born in 1945 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He graduated from Yale and got his law degree from the University of Virginia.  He practiced for many years in Washington D.C.  During this time, he traveled frequently to Brazil and became fluent in Portuguese.  One of his legal specialties was international Brazilian commerce. 

Scoop was married at one point and he had eight children with his wife.

He eventually founded The Daniel Law Firm with a partner in 1990. 

In 1994, Scoop divorced his wife.  He moved the law firm from Washington D.C and settled in Breckenridge, Colorado.  

While in Breckenridge, he worked as a real estate attorney and was an active member of the local community.  He was said to have worked pro-bono for West African immigrants in the community and helped them to apply for their green cards.

Scoop was also an active member of his church – Father Dyer Methodist Church.  He served on the church committee and also helped with administration.  He played guitar in the church band and sang in the choir.

Scoop also started a new relationship in Breckenridge, with a woman named Jennifer Rathbun.

On Thursday April 26, 2007, Scoop attended a community fundraiser.  He spoke to friends and nobody mentioned any erratic behaviour on Scoop’s behalf.  Everything seemed fine.  He purchased several items during a fundraising auction.  

The following day, Friday April 27, 2007, a co-worker of Scoop’s arrived at The Daniel Law Firm at 8.30am.  The firm was located at 130 Ski Hill Road in Breckenridge.

The employee found coffee brewing and Scoop’s dog was also in the office.  In Scoop’s office sat an empty cereal bowl.  A pen and a pair of broken sunglasses were on the floor.

It appeared as if Scoop had come to the office that morning but had left.  During that day, he missed two scheduled appointments.  By 3pm when there was no sign of Scoop, his co-workers filed a missing person report with the Breckenridge Police Department.

At 7.48pm on that day, a 911 call was made from Scoop’s cell phone.  A dispatcher answered and there was silence on the line.  The call lasted for 9 seconds.  The location of the phone would be pinged to a tower near the law firm office. 

When police searched Scoop’s apartment, they found his Kawasaki motorcycle, his laptop and his passport were missing.  As mentioned, his dog Ben was in the office. His car was parked in front of his office.  

Authorities reviewed CCTV and found that Scoop was seen at 5.35am arriving at the law firm office but he was not seen leaving the premises.  

Police interviewed Scoop’s girlfriend Jennifer.  She told them that he dropped her at her home at 5.30am on April 27.  He gave her a key to his house which she thought was strange as he never locked the home.  He also gave her his jogging suit and Sorel boots and told her that he would not need them for a while.  Jennifer said that Scoop was in ‘extreme credit card debt’ and that she had tried to help by opening a line of credit for him at the bank where she worked.  Scoop had been rejected because of his high debt levels and tax liens.  

It was also determined that on the morning of April 27, Scoop called the woman who had run the charity auction the previous night.  He gave her a Visa card number to pay for the auction items he had purchased.  When she ran the card later, the purchases were declined.  

Scoop’s assistant, Sarah Bailey, told authorities that on the day he disappeared, she found her paycheck in an envelope on her desk.  She said this was strange as he usually gave her the paycheck just minutes before 5pm on each payday.  Sarah also said that she found a letter once that indicated Scoop was behind on child support and she also found a 2005 letter of discipline from the Colorado Supreme Court, which oversees licensed lawyers.

After Scoop disappeared, seven people contacted authorities saying that he had been holding escrow money for them.  Four of them said that he held more than $500k of their money.

In May 2007, an arrest warrant was issued for Scoop on suspicion of class three felony theft.  

The state Attorney Regulation Counsel said it believed Scoop may have withdrawn up to $1 million in clients’ funds before disappearing. Friends say he may have traveled to Brazil.

Investigators contacted the U.S. Passport Agency, which told them Scoop had renewed his passport in 2006 giving the reason for the renewal as “travel in late April, 2007.”

The affidavit revealed that Scoop had been transferring clients’ money without their knowledge to 10 bank accounts that he controlled.  This was illegal for attorneys to do.  

This information is from The Denver Post:

One client, Eugene Gregory of Franktown, who owned an excavating company in Breckenridge, told investigators Daniel spent $250,000 that he gave him as escrow money for a 1031 real-estate exchange in 2006.

In 1031 exchanges, a real-estate owner may trade one property for another and transfer any tax liability to the second property.

When confronted by Gregory, Daniel said he had used the money to repay other 1031 clients, then admitted he was about $300,000 in debt.

Eventually, Daniel repaid “most” of the $250,000, Gregory said.

In an e-mail to authorities, Gregory wrote: “Scoop admitted a year ago he was in debt and was using one person’s 1031 money to close the last 1031, & that the funds were no longer there.”

According to the affidavit, Scoop had tried to borrow money in 2000.  He wrote on his loan application that he had been representing Trans-Brazil airlines.  The airline had suffered a major downturn in business in 1997 and had cancelled the majority of international flights on their schedule.  

“As a result, our income from that client, which was about 60 percent of a $250,000 per year practice, dropped to nothing,” he wrote in the application. “This has caused us to retool the practice over the last two years.”

On May 25, 2007, Scoop was suspended from practicing law in Colorado.

On December 7, 2011, almost five years after he vanished, Scoop was found alive in San Diego.  He was arrested as he attempted to cross into California from Mexico, using his real passport.  This triggered the warrant that was out for him.  

Scoop was held in San Diego Central Jail on a $175,000 bond.  He was charged with eight counts of felony theft and five counts of commercial bribery.  

Scoop would say that he was in dire financial trouble in 2007 and he was barely able to keep his business afloat.  He said that he considered taking his own life and that was his plan on the day he disappeared.  He said he decided to kill himself by driving off a mountain on Hoosier Pass in Colorado.  He said that he took his passport so that his body could be identified.  Scoop said that he called 911 for help but changed his mind and hung up the phone.  He then got on a bus to Frisco, Texas before traveling to Southern Mexico.  (I guess that his passport wasn’t flagged at this point as he did not have a warrant yet?)

“I wanted to go somewhere warm and kill myself where no one would know me,” he said.

Scoop also spoke about leaving his dog in the office.  “I knew he’d be OK. I wasn’t going to survive past noon.” 

When Scoop got to Mexico, he said he climbed over the railing of an 11th floor balcony and intended to jump.   He said a woman from an adjoining room came out and kept him from letting go and falling.  

Scoop lived in Acapulco, Mexico for the next four years.  He said he was unaware that there was an arrest warrant out for him.

He said he worked as a freelance writer and did translation work.  He said he earned around $600 per month.

“That was enough money to keep me alive,” he said. Scoop testified he led a hermit’s life in Mexico, with only one friend – an elderly woman in the last stages of a terminal illness.

In 2010, Scoop became eligible to collect Social Security payments as he turned 65.  

This information is from the DisappearedBlog.com:

The Social Security Administration did not suspend his payments as he was not wanted for escape or flight from justice warrants.

Scoop said that after his friend passed away, he decided to return to the US and do the right thing.

“That’s when I got the courage to face the things that needed to be faced,” he said.

Authorities had doubts about Scoop’s story.  This info is from SummitDaily.com:

But prosecutors here painted a different picture, saying Scoop spent his years in Mexico drinking beer on the beach on Sundays and returned to the U.S. to open an American bank account that would save him money when depositing Social Security checks. The district attorney played a recording of Daniel’s original statement after his arrest stating the same. In the recording, Daniel stated if he’d known there was a warrant for his arrest, he likely wouldn’t have returned to the U.S.

In April 2012, Scoop took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to two charges of felony theft.  He was sentenced to twelve years in state prison and was ordered to pay $462,000 in restitution to his victims.  Under the agreement, Scoop was facing a maximum 16 years behind bars.

He told the judge he didn’t know how to show how sorry he was.

“I don’t know how to be more remorseful. I didn’t think of myself as a thief,” he said. 

Some of Scoop’s victims spoke in court during his sentencing.

“I want the right thing for us as victims to at least feel we have come out with something. We may never see our money but at least let us know that he can never do this to another human being,” said one victim.

“I was in six months of therapy and had to take anti-depressants,” said victim Craig Campbell.  He lost about $175,000 when Daniel disappeared.

Dr. Mark Newkirk said his total financial loss was upwards of $500,000.

“This affected our marriage greatly. We were separated for six months and almost got divorced thanks to this,” he said.

As of February 2026, Scoop does not show on the Colorado Department of Corrections website as an inmate.  If he started his sentence in 2012 and was sentenced to 12 years, he should have been out by 2024 at the latest.  There is no information online about his current whereabouts.

SOURCE LIST

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/24/north-carolina-missing-woman-found

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/02/23/missing-mother-michele-hundley-smith-found-alive/88821865007