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

THE VILLAGES, Fla. – 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.

Michelle Newton, who was born in 1980 and is now 43, was reported missing in 1983 after she and her mom left Louisville, Kentucky.

Her mom, Debra Newton, was suspected decades ago of custodial interference. She was recently found in The Villages, Florida, where she was apparently re-married and living under a different name, according to officials and court records.

What happened to Michelle Newton?

The backstory:

On April 2, 1983, the girl’s mother, Debra, claimed she and Michelle were moving from Kentucky to Georgia “to begin a new job and prepare a new home for the family,” according to a news release issued Monday by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

Both Debra and her daughter vanished, the sheriff’s office said.

There was a “final phone call” sometime between 1984 and 1985 between Debra and her then-husband, Joseph Newton. After that, the two disappeared and were not heard from for decades, the news release said.

Debra Newton was charged with custodial interference. She was indicted and then wanted by the FBI for “Unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.” At one point, she was listed among the FBI’s “Top 8 Most Wanted parental-kidnapping fugitives.” 

In 2000 – 17 years later – the case was dismissed because the Commonwealth was unable to reach Joseph Newton, Michelle’s father and Debra’s ex-husband. In 2005, Michelle was removed from the national missing children databases, the sheriff’s office said.

A family member asked for help from the sheriff’s office in 2015, which allowed the case to be “re-examined.” The case was reopened and re-indicted in 2016.

The ‘breakthrough’ that broke the case 

In 2025, detectives received a “breakthrough” with a Crime Stoppers tip. A tip identified Debra Newton as a 66-year-old woman in Marion County living as “Sharon.” She had remarried, built a new life and had retired to The Villages with her husband, the sheriff’s office said. 

“People think calling in tips is ‘snitching.’ It isn’t,” Col. Healey said in a statement.  “You’re helping victims. You’re helping families. This case proves that one phone call can change a life.”

The U.S. Marshals Task Force compared a recent photo of Debra Newton to the 1983 image of her – and confirmed the “resemblance.” Then, DNA collected from Debra’s sister in Louisville, Kentucky, showed a 99.9% match to the woman found in Florida – Debra Newton.

The sheriff’s office said after being notified of the warrant, a family member traveled to Kentucky to post Debra’s bond. Debra voluntarily appeared in Lousiville court.

It was during this time that Michelle realized her true identity and family history, the sheriff’s office said. Michelle then contacted the sheriff’s office.

She told them that she had been living under a different name in a different state and did not realize that she was even a victim. 

The sheriff’s office said it was then able to reunite Michelle with her dad and some of her extended family members. 

Who is Debra Newton?

What we know:

Marion County deputies arrived at a home in November in The Villages to arrest Debra Newton, who was identified as “Sharon.” She was walking her dog and talking with her neighbor when deputies arrived and arrested her. 

Debra repeated to her neighbor, deputies and later, her husband, who came out of the house to get the dog, that she didn’t do anything, deputy body camera footage shows.  

Newton was extradited to Kentucky, where she has been charged with custodial interference. The sheriff’s office said under Kentucky law, that charge has no statute of limitations, which is why the case can be prosecuted decades after the alleged offense. 

Debra Newton, 66, was arrested for a 40-year case connected to kidnapping. 

According to reports from a local Kentucky news outlet, Debra was in court. Her ex-husband, Joseph, and her daughter, Michelle, both attended the court case. Michelle reportedly told one outlet that she was there to support them both during the case – and that she looks forward to it being over so both sides can heal.