Found Safe KY - Michelle Marie Newton, 3, Louisville, 2 Apr1983

[Mysteries1974]

Wow, in this December 13 article,
"At some point, Debra Newton took on a new identity and became Sharon Nealy.
At the time of her arrest, she identified her spouse as Reggie Nealy and provided law enforcement with his cell phone number. She listed him as her “next of kin.” Reggie and Sharon Nealy purchased their home in The Villages in 2013."
Debra/Sharon's spouse is a decorated USMC veteran with a career in law enforcement, and Debra/Sharon use the email address mrscrimefighter@msn.com

Mother in missing daughter case found new life with revered Villager - Villages-News.com

The above article also links to this 2018 profile on her husband, which provides some useful background information on her. She and he lived in / near Philadelphia, where she was working at Wells Fargo. They relocated to Charlotte, NC for her job with Wells Fargo, bought a second home in The Villages in 2013 and then eventually relocated.
Villager known for work with Marine Corps League enjoyed long career in law enforcement work - Villages-News.com

That part blows my mind because banks require extensive background checks, including fingerprinting, for their employees, and most do periodic refreshes of those background checks, too. This wasn't some lady who vanished with her daughter after a divorce and stayed off the grid for years!

So if Debra disappeared with the help of some rogue church group led by Michael D. Hartmann, I wonder if she defected from this cult at some point after kidnapping Michelle and met her husband after all of it? I wonder if her husband knew of her past or that she was a wanted fugitive?

 

[lisette]

So if Debra disappeared with the help of some rogue church group led by Michael D. Hartmann, I wonder if she defected from this cult at some point after kidnapping Michelle and met her husband after all of it? I wonder if her husband knew of her past or that she was a wanted fugitive?

Where can I find this information on this Michael D Hartmann helping her?

 

[Mysteries1974]

A Timeline of the Michelle Newton Case:

October 5, 1979 - Michelle Marie Newton is born to Joseph “Joe” Newton and Debra Leigh Curry Newton.

April 2, 1983 - Debra takes three year old Michelle after telling Joe that she got a new job offer in Georgia and was moving there. He planned to meet them there but when he arrived, he couldn’t find his wife or daughter. They disappeared without a trace. The disappearance was allegedly orchestrated by a rogue church group led by a Mr. Michael Hartmann.

1983-1985 - Debra calls Joe for a final time at some point between 1984 and 1985. After they vanished, Debra attempted to file for divorce from Joe on grounds of desertion. She told her attorney that she and Michelle were abandoned by him at a Holiday Inn. He dropped the case once he found out that Michelle was considered missing and Debra was wanted on custodial interference charges. Joe is given full custody of Michelle in 1985.

May 3, 1985 - A felony warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued against Debra by the FBI

2000 - The case against Debra was dismissed and the search is discontinued when Joseph Newton could not be located.

2005 - A bogus call is made to NCMEC from a person identifying themselves as a detective from the Louisville PD claiming that Michelle had been located safe. This resulted in Michelle being removed from all missing persons databases.

2015 - Family members request that the Louisville PD reexamine Michelle’s case since she had not truly been located.

2016 - Michelle's kidnapping case is reopened and Debra is re-indicted for custodial interference in connection with her daughter’s abduction.

2021 - Michelle's case is added back to all missing persons databases and NCMEC creates a new age progression to show how she might look at age 42.

2025 - Crime stoppers receive a tip that Debra is living in Marion County, Florida under the name “Sharon.” She took on a new identity, remarried, started a new life, and retired to The Villages in Piedmont with her husband. A DNA test showed the woman is a 99% match to Debra’s sister, proving she is in fact Debra.

November 24, 2025 - Debra is arrested by Marion County authorities while she is walking her dog in her neighborhood. The entire time, she acts confused and says she doesn’t understand why she’s being taken into custody.

Nov-Dec 2025 - Michelle is located safely living under a different name. She was completely unaware of the fact she was considered a missing child and had no idea she had family searching for her. She was flown to Kentucky to reunite with her father and other relatives.

December 6, 2025 - Debra chooses night to fight extradition and voluntarily waives extradition back to the state of Kentucky. She appeared in court afterward, both Michelle and Joe were present

 

[Mysteries1974]

Where can I find this information on this Michael D Hartmann helping her?

I was told this by the original detective who started reexamining her case in 2015

 

[lisette]

It’s hard for me to believe that someone recognized her, simply from old pictures… she looks so different now. It must have been somebody who knew who she really was, and decided to turn her in.jmo

 

[Mysteries1974]

Where can I find this information on this Michael D Hartmann helping her?

I was told this by the original detective who started reexamining her case in 2015. I

A Timeline of the Michelle Newton Case:

October 5, 1979 - Michelle Marie Newton is born to Joseph “Joe” Newton and Debra Leigh Curry Newton.

April 2, 1983 - Debra takes three year old Michelle after telling Joe that she got a new job offer in Georgia and was moving there. He planned to meet them there but when he arrived, he couldn’t find his wife or daughter. They disappeared without a trace. The disappearance was allegedly orchestrated by a rogue church group led by a Mr. Michael Hartmann.

1983-1985 - Debra calls Joe for a final time at some point between 1984 and 1985. After they vanished, Debra attempted to file for divorce from Joe on grounds of desertion. She told her attorney that she and Michelle were abandoned by him at a Holiday Inn. He dropped the case once he found out that Michelle was considered missing and Debra was wanted on custodial interference charges. Joe is given full custody of Michelle in 1985.

May 3, 1985 - A felony warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued against Debra by the FBI

2000 - The case against Debra was dismissed and the search is discontinued when Joseph Newton could not be located.

2005 - A bogus call is made to NCMEC from a person identifying themselves as a detective from the Louisville PD claiming that Michelle had been located safe. This resulted in Michelle being removed from all missing persons databases.

2015 - Family members request that the Louisville PD reexamine Michelle’s case since she had not truly been located.

2016 - Michelle's kidnapping case is reopened and Debra is re-indicted for custodial interference in connection with her daughter’s abduction.

2021 - Michelle's case is added back to all missing persons databases and NCMEC creates a new age progression to show how she might look at age 42.

2025 - Crime stoppers receive a tip that Debra is living in Marion County, Florida under the name “Sharon.” She took on a new identity, remarried, started a new life, and retired to The Villages in Piedmont with her husband. A DNA test showed the woman is a 99% match to Debra’s sister, proving she is in fact Debra.

November 24, 2025 - Debra is arrested by Marion County authorities while she is walking her dog in her neighborhood. The entire time, she acts confused and says she doesn’t understand why she’s being taken into custody.

Nov-Dec 2025 - Michelle is located safely living under a different name. She was completely unaware of the fact she was considered a missing child and had no idea she had family searching for her. She was flown to Kentucky to reunite with her father and other relatives.

December 6, 2025 - Debra chooses night to fight extradition and voluntarily waives extradition back to the state of Kentucky. She appeared in court afterward, both Michelle and Joe were present

*not instead of night, typos

 

[JaxFlaGal]

A Timeline of the Michelle Newton Case:

October 5, 1979 - Michelle Marie Newton is born to Joseph “Joe” Newton and Debra Leigh Curry Newton.

April 2, 1983 - Debra takes three year old Michelle after telling Joe that she got a new job offer in Georgia and was moving there. He planned to meet them there but when he arrived, he couldn’t find his wife or daughter. They disappeared without a trace. The disappearance was allegedly orchestrated by a rogue church group led by a Mr. Michael Hartmann.

1983-1985 - Debra calls Joe for a final time at some point between 1984 and 1985. After they vanished, Debra attempted to file for divorce from Joe on grounds of desertion. She told her attorney that she and Michelle were abandoned by him at a Holiday Inn. He dropped the case once he found out that Michelle was considered missing and Debra was wanted on custodial interference charges. Joe is given full custody of Michelle in 1985.

May 3, 1985 - A felony warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued against Debra by the FBI

2000 - The case against Debra was dismissed and the search is discontinued when Joseph Newton could not be located.

2005 - A bogus call is made to NCMEC from a person identifying themselves as a detective from the Louisville PD claiming that Michelle had been located safe. This resulted in Michelle being removed from all missing persons databases.

2015 - Family members request that the Louisville PD reexamine Michelle’s case since she had not truly been located.

2016 - Michelle's kidnapping case is reopened and Debra is re-indicted for custodial interference in connection with her daughter’s abduction.

2021 - Michelle's case is added back to all missing persons databases and NCMEC creates a new age progression to show how she might look at age 42.

2025 - Crime stoppers receive a tip that Debra is living in Marion County, Florida under the name “Sharon.” She took on a new identity, remarried, started a new life, and retired to The Villages in Piedmont with her husband. A DNA test showed the woman is a 99% match to Debra’s sister, proving she is in fact Debra.

November 24, 2025 - Debra is arrested by Marion County authorities while she is walking her dog in her neighborhood. The entire time, she acts confused and says she doesn’t understand why she’s being taken into custody.

Nov-Dec 2025 - Michelle is located safely living under a different name. She was completely unaware of the fact she was considered a missing child and had no idea she had family searching for her. She was flown to Kentucky to reunite with her father and other relatives.

December 6, 2025 - Debra chooses night to fight extradition and voluntarily waives extradition back to the state of Kentucky. She appeared in court afterward, both Michelle and Joe were present

Some other general timeframes I've collected:
August 1998 - Debra/Sharon LinkedIn bio's timeline begins, shows her working as an adjunct at Reading Area Community College in PA until Aug 2005.
March 15 2002 Sharon M Nealy and her husband buy a home and obtain mortgage on a single family residence in Berks County, PA. (https://countyfusion4.govos.com/countyweb/main.jsp?countyname=Berks Instrument #2002020608). The mortgage carries a VA rider, so they used the husband's VA benefit to buy the primary residence. Refinanced in 2003, sold in 2004.

February / March 2004 - Nealy and her husband sell that home and buy another in Berks County PA. 2127 Queens Ct City of Reading, PA. (refinanced in 2006).

August 2005 - Debra/Sharon LinkedIn bio states she started with Wachovia/Wells Fargo. Location not specified. This article indicates she was working with Wachovia/Wells in PA and then she and her husband moved to Charlotte and then retired to The Villages. Villager known for work with Marine Corps League enjoyed long career in law enforcement work - Villages-News.com

Sept 2007 (date of deed) / Feb 2008 (date of deed recording) Nealy and her husband sell the property at 2127 Queens Ct City of Reading, PA.

2013 - "Sharon" and her husband bought a 2nd home in The Villages (per The Villages articles. His FB page also notes they moved to the Villages in 2013).

I didn't have a chance to dig further into the PA records. I was hoping her marriage license info in the same county and the same public record location as the deeds, but that doesn't appear to be how PA's records are set up. I also didn't see any "one and the same name" affidavits that are sometimes filed when buying property if someone has had a recent name change. I'm very curious about the names she went by from her disappearance to 2002, in what locations, when she married her current husband, and when she moved to PA. At a glance, it appears that her current husband was a longtime resident of the same area in PA, so I am *hypothesizing* they met there.

 

[JaxFlaGal]

I can also add to the timeline:
October 2007 - Sharon M Nealy and her husband buy a home and obtain mortgage on a single family residence in Charlotte / Mecklenberg County. They sell it in November 2013. The address they use at time of sale is in The Villages, FL. Marion County Florida official records indicate they bought the house in The Villages in November 2013.