India, Feb. 23 -- A mother of three from North Carolina, who went missing more than twenty years ago, has been found alive and has started a new life - leaving her family in shock and filled with questions regarding her absence, as per authorities.

The report is released during a period when authorities are actively seeking Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie. Her 84-year-old mother has been missing since January 31, and officials have been unable to find her.

Michele Lyn Hundley Smith, who was 38 at the time, vanished in December 2001 after she left her residence in Eden to shop for Christmas at a Kmart in Virginia, according to the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office.

Smith's concerning disappearance led to extens...