Police in Orlando, Florida, have arrested Michelle Parker’s former fiancé, more than a decade after she vanished just hours after a televised dispute between the couple aired on “The People’s Court.”
Dale Smith Jr., 55, was arrested Wednesday by the Orlando Police Department and charged with second-degree murder in Parker’s death. Although her body has never been found, police said that “all evidence leads to Dale Smith Jr. as the person responsible for Michelle’s murder.”
The arrest came 15 years after Parker was last seen on Nov. 17, 2011. That day, she dropped off her twins with Smith.
Parker disappeared the same afternoon a prerecorded episode of “The People’s Court” aired, featuring the former couple’s dispute over a $5,000 engagement ring.
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Dale Smith Jr., 55, has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the death of his former fiancée, Michelle Parker, who disappeared in Orlando, Fla., in November 2011. (Orlando Police Department)
During the court appearance, Parker said Smith “gets pretty malicious and vindictive.” She also recalled, “He said that he wanted his ring, so I took it off, and I threw it at him.” Friends of the couple had previously described their relationship as tumultuous.
Parker was reported missing after she failed to arrive at work. Her brother, Dustin, texted her asking where she was and received a reply saying, “Waterford.” The one-word message immediately concerned relatives, who said Parker would not normally respond that way.
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Michelle Parker vanished on Nov. 17, 2011, hours after a prerecorded episode of “The People’s Court” featured her dispute with former fiancé Dale Smith Jr. over a $5,000 engagement ring. Her body has never been recovered. (Orlando Police Department)
Her Hummer was discovered abandoned several days later near an apartment complex west of the Mall at Millenia. The decal advertising her airbrush-tanning business had been removed from the vehicle. A dive team later found Parker’s iPhone in a lake about four miles from her home.
Smith remained a prime suspect for years, but investigators said they did not have enough evidence to make an arrest. Police said the case moved forward after “years of investigative work and a renewed, focused effort over the past year,” supported by an “expanded investigative team” that revisited evidence and applied advances in digital forensics.
Dale Smith Jr., 55, is escorted by law enforcement officers after his arrest in connection with the 2011 disappearance and presumed murder of his former fiancée, Michelle Parker, in Orlando, Fla. (Orlando Police Department)
Detective Phil McMickin said Wednesday at a news conference that Smith had been interviewed by police multiple times.
“The suspect was interviewed more than once, and since then has taken part in depositions related to this case. Very specific questions were asked of him numerous times over the years, and he gave different answers to those same questions,” McMickin said.
News Media has contacted Smith’s defense attorney for comment.