Maliciously Missing | Michele Hundley Smith & Royal 'Scoop' Daniel III

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Welcome back to another episode of the True Crime Society Podcast.

In this episode, we discuss two separate cases where missing people have been found ALIVE years after their disappearance, in crazy circumstances.

In December 2001, North Carolina woman Michele Hundley Smith told her three children that she was going Christmas shopping. She never returned. Over the next two decades, Michele’s husband faced scrutiny and many wondered if he may have been involved in her disappearance. In February 2026, Michele was found to be alive and living in a trailer park, two hours from the home of her family. She asked that her location not be disclosed to them.
Colorado attorney Royal ‘Scoop’ Daniel III went to the office of his law practice one morning in April 2007. When other staff arrived, Scoop’s dog was left in the office alone and there was no sign of his owner. An investigation into Scoop’s disappearance revealed that he was hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Scoop was found alive in 2011 when he attempted to cross from Mexico back into the US, using his own passport. He was arrested and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

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