Abducted By Mother At 3, US Woman Reunites With Father After 42 Years

A US girl, who was abducted as a toddler at the age of three, has been found after 42 years. Michelle Marie Newton went missing in 1983 and was living under a new identity of "Sharon Nealy", completely unaware that she was once abducted.

The video obtained by Wesh TV shows Marion County deputies finding a woman accused of abducting her own daughter decades ago. In November 2025, police got a tip that led them to Debra Newton, Michelle's mother, in The Villages, Florida.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office stated that Debra relocated from Louisville, Kentucky, to Georgia, claiming it was for a new job and to set up a new home, leaving her husband, Joseph Newton, behind.

Bodycam footage shows police arriving at her home, with a friend joking, "They're coming for you, Sharon!" Debra laughed, but the deputies clearly stated, "We're here for you, ma'am," before arresting her. She had previously been on the FBI's Top 8 Most Wanted list for parental kidnappings.

"You're not who you think you are. You're a missing person. You're Michelle Marie Newton," the police told her. After discovering her true identity, Michelle immediately contacted the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, which helped her reconnect with her father.

Joseph described the reunion as an emotional and almost surreal experience. "She's always been in our hearts. I can't explain that moment of walking in and getting to put my arms back around my daughter," he said.

He further said, "I wouldn't trade that moment for anything. It was just like seeing her when she was first born. It was like an angel."

Joseph said he last spoke to his wife between 1984 and 1985, and after that, she disappeared completely. 

The search continued until 2000, but was dismissed because prosecutors couldn't contact Joseph. In 2005, Michelle's name was removed from the national missing children databases, according to the NY Post.

However, the case was reopened in 2016 after a family member requested it, but there were no major leads for years. Finally, in 2025, the police got a tip through Crime Stoppers that provided a solid lead to find Michelle.

According to the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office in Jefferson County, Debra was arraigned on a felony charge of custodial interference. Michelle and Joseph both attended Debra's arraignment.

During the court proceedings, she said, "My intention is to support them both through this and try to navigate and help them both just wrap it up so that we can all heal."