A Kentucky girl who had been missing for 42 years was recently found alive, and with new identity. She also had no idea that she had been kidnapped and was considered to be missing for over 40 years.
Michelle Marie Newton was reported missing on April 2, 1983, when she was three-years-old. It turns out she had been living the past four-plus decades under a fake name.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, her mother, Debra Newton, relocated from Louisville, Kentucky, to Georgia. She claimed the move was for a new job and to prepare a new home for the family.
Michelle’s father, Joseph Newton, remained behind in Kentucky, thinking he soon would reunite with his family. Instead, Debra and Michelle vanished.
Joseph told WLKY News that he last spoke to his wife sometime between 1984 and 1985. At one point, Debra was on the FBI’s Top 8 Most Wanted list for parental kidnappings.
The case against Debra was active until 2000 when it was dismissed because prosecutors couldn’t reach Joseph. In 2005, Michelle Marie Newton’s name was removed from nationwide missing child databases. In 2016, the case was reopened at the request of a family member.
A Crime Stoppers tip finally solved the case after more than 40 years
It wasn’t until a Crime Stoppers tip in 2025 that any progress was made. The tip led authorities to a retirement community in the Villages, Florida. Debra Newton, now identifying as Sharon Nealy and with a new husband, was walking her dog and talking with her neighbor when deputies arrived at her home.
“They’re coming for you, Sharon!” the neighbor joked to Debra. The neighbor wasn’t wrong. “We’re here for you, ma’am,” police informed Debra before arresting her on a felony charge of custodial interference.
The deputies then went to talk to Michelle Marie Newton. “You’re not who you think you are. You’re a missing person,” they informed her.
Michelle then contacted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and they helped her reunite with her father.