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

[John/Jane Doe]

Villager arrested in connection with little girl missing since 1983 - Villages-News.com

A Villager has been arrested in connection with a little girl who went missing in 1983.

www.villages-news.com

November 25, 2025

A Villager has been arrested in connection with a little girl who went missing in 1983.

Debra Leigh Newton, 66, of the Village of Piedmont, was arrested Monday by Marion County sheriff’s deputies. At the time of her arrest she was considered a fugitive from justice in Kentucky. Officially, she has been charged with “custodial interference.”

*****
Due to inaccurate information, Michelle Newton’s missing persons case was removed from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2005. The warrant for Debra Newton was also withdrawn. The case was closed for some years until it was reopened as a cold case in 2015. Michelle Newton’s missing persons information was added back to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2021.

Debra Newton was being held on $35,000 bond at the Marion County Jail.


View attachment 626999

She hasn't said what she did with Michelle?

 

[Megsc]

Villager arrested in connection with little girl missing since 1983 - Villages-News.com

A Villager has been arrested in connection with a little girl who went missing in 1983.

www.villages-news.com

November 25, 2025

A Villager has been arrested in connection with a little girl who went missing in 1983.

Debra Leigh Newton, 66, of the Village of Piedmont, was arrested Monday by Marion County sheriff’s deputies. At the time of her arrest she was considered a fugitive from justice in Kentucky. Officially, she has been charged with “custodial interference.”

*****
Due to inaccurate information, Michelle Newton’s missing persons case was removed from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2005. The warrant for Debra Newton was also withdrawn. The case was closed for some years until it was reopened as a cold case in 2015. Michelle Newton’s missing persons information was added back to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2021.

Debra Newton was being held on $35,000 bond at the Marion County Jail.


View attachment 626999

Did they find Michelle as well ????

 

[Mysteries1974]

Did they find Michelle as well ????

No, Michelle has not been found

 

[victoriarobinson642]

That's wild. It seems like she was living in plain sight this whole time. I wonder if she even used an alias.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

According to one comment, Michelle is alive and well, and that she now goes by the name Amanda and has 3 children.

https://www.facebook.com/100063796704904/posts/1425047149631828

 

[Mysteries1974]

According to one comment, Michelle is alive and well, and that she now goes by the name Amanda and has 3 children.

https://www.facebook.com/100063796704904/posts/1425047149631828

I found the comment and found the post the comment was referring to. Debra’s nephew posted about the situation and how DNA ultimately led LE to Debra. He stated that Michelle is alive, goes by a different name and has three children of her own. She flew to reunite with her family this week while Debra was arrested.

 

[Mysteries1974]

I’m very happy Michelle has been located safely. I know her father was absolutely devastated after Debra took her away and I hope he was able to see her.

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Video of Michelle and her dad.

Woman found alive, reunited with family more than 40 years after custodial kidnapping

“This is the kind of case you see once in a law-enforcement career,” Col. Steve Healey said.

www.whas11.com

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) helped reunite a family and closed a more than 40-year-old missing-person and custodial-kidnapping investigation Monday.

*****
In 2025, a Crime Stoppers tip in Florida found a possible match for Debra, and JCSO Detective Constance Jones confirmed the resemblance. DNA from Debra's sister showed a 99.99% match to the person in Florida.

Authorities said a family member came to Kentucky and posted the bond, and Debra voluntarily appeared in Louisville court.

*****
Michelle, who was living in another state under a different identity, contacted the Sheriff's Office after finding out about her family history, and the department was able to reunite her with her family, according to the sheriff's office.

She told JCSO she had not realized she was a victim until she saw everything she missed.

*****

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

Debra Newton arrest video.

 

[Ssschu]

Debra Newton arrest video.

The neighbor joking "they're coming for you, Sharon!!" and then laughing hysterically. She must have gotten whiplash from that shock!

 

[Mysteries1974]

Debra Newton arrest video.

I can’t tell if she she’s faking not knowing why they are there for her or if she genuinely believed she got away with everything because her warrant had been thrown out years ago.

I spoke with the original detective who re-indicted Debra and began investigating Michelle’s case in 2015 a few a years ago when I found Michelle’s case on newspapers.com.

He said that “someone” who identified themselves as a detective from the Louisville PD called NCMEC and said Michelle had been located. The name given by the detective was found to be false, there was no detective with the Louisville PD by that name at the time.

The detective said the abduction was facilitated by a rogue church group led by a man identified as Michael Hartmann, the same guy whose name Debra used when selling the family car in Georgia.

Hartmann died in 2005, the same year that Debra’s warrant was tossed out and Michelle’s NCMEC listing being removed. The bogus call about Michelle being found was made at the time of his funeral, most likely to ensure no police would surveil the funeral.

I’m glad Michelle has been reunited with her family at long last. But this makes me wonder if something fishy happened with the whole warrant and missing listing being thrown out. Hope I’m wrong.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Woman Abducted at Age 3 in 1983 Found Alive After 40 Years — and Her Mother Is Now Charged

Now 46, Michelle Newton was shocked to learn that her family had been looking for her for decades.

people.com

It would be interesting to find out exactly how she obtained a new identity.

 

[Mysteries1974]

Woman Abducted at Age 3 in 1983 Found Alive After 40 Years — and Her Mother Is Now Charged

Now 46, Michelle Newton was shocked to learn that her family had been looking for her for decades.

people.com

It would be interesting to find out exactly how she obtained a new identity.

It sounds like Debra had a lot of help with disappearing and keeping herself hidden for years.

 

[JaxFlaGal]

More here:

Missing Kentucky girl, who was abducted 40 years ago, found alive; Mom arrested in Florida, deputies say

A 3-year-old girl who was reported missing in Kentucky more than 40 years ago is alive and well – living under a different identity and in a different state – and was unaware that she was a victim in a missing person's case, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

www.fox35orlando.com

and here:

Villager’s long-lost daughter alive in latest twist in 1983 cold case - Villages-News.com

A Villager’s long lost daughter is alive and appeared in court in Kentucky where her mother had to answer for the child’s 1983 abduction.

www.villages-news.com

 

[lisette]

I don’t understand. Did the daughter not know her mother either? Who was her family as far as she knew?

 

[JaxFlaGal]

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!

 

[JaxFlaGal]

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!

Based on these 2 articles in The Villages-News, this sparse LinkedIn profile matches Debra/Sharon. It begins in Reading, PA in 1998, the year that Michelle would have turned 18. No photo, jobs in banking, started at Wells Fargo (then Wachovia) in 2005 to present.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-nealy-61012510?trk=universal-search-cluster

 

[JaxFlaGal]

Video of Michelle and her dad.

Woman found alive, reunited with family more than 40 years after custodial kidnapping

“This is the kind of case you see once in a law-enforcement career,” Col. Steve Healey said.

www.whas11.com

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) helped reunite a family and closed a more than 40-year-old missing-person and custodial-kidnapping investigation Monday.

*****
In 2025, a Crime Stoppers tip in Florida found a possible match for Debra, and JCSO Detective Constance Jones confirmed the resemblance. DNA from Debra's sister showed a 99.99% match to the person in Florida.

Authorities said a family member came to Kentucky and posted the bond, and Debra voluntarily appeared in Louisville court.

*****
Michelle, who was living in another state under a different identity, contacted the Sheriff's Office after finding out about her family history, and the department was able to reunite her with her family, according to the sheriff's office.

She told JCSO she had not realized she was a victim until she saw everything she missed.

*****

That is a wonderful reunion interview!