Overview
- Deputies in Marion County, Florida, arrested Debra Leigh Newton on Nov. 24 in The Villages, where neighbors knew her as “Sharon Nealy.”
- She was extradited to Louisville on a felony custodial‑interference charge, pleaded not guilty on Dec. 8, and is scheduled to appear again on Jan. 23, 2026.
- Investigators confirmed her identity through photo comparisons and DNA from Newton’s sister, with reported matches around 99–99.99%.
- Michelle Newton, abducted at age 3 and raised under another name, was told of her true identity this fall and reunited with her father.
- The case was dismissed in 2000 and her missing‑child listing was removed in 2005, but a 2015–2016 reexamination and a 2025 tip led to the breakthrough.