Mom disappeared hours after appearing on The People’s Court. Her ex is accused of her murder 15 years later
In 2011, Michelle Parker, an Orlando mother-of-three, appeared on the TV show “The People’s Court” over an engagement ring dispute with her ex-fiancé. Hours later, she went missing – and has never been found.
On Wednesday, her former partner Dale Smith Jr. was charged with second-degree murder in connection with Parker’s disappearance, Orlando Police Department confirmed.
Smith Jr, 55, was arrested at his business after a review of the case, including advances in digital forensics, helped uncover additional evidence.
Her ex, who has denied involvement in Parker’s disappearance, was considered a prime suspect for years and was the last person to see her alive.
“While Michelle has not yet been located, all evidence leads to Dale Smith Jr as the person responsible for Michelle’s murder,” the police said.
Parker was last seen on November 17, 2011, after dropping off the couple’s three-year-old twins at Smith’s home. She was expected to run errands before going to her job as a bartender but never arrived.
Her Hummer SUV was found abandoned the following day, with the decal for her tanning business scraped off its window. Her cellphone was recovered from a lake several weeks later but searches failed to locate Parker.
Hours before she disappeared, a prerecorded episode of “The People’s Court” aired featuring the former couple who wanted to settle a dispute over a $5,000 engagement ring.
During the episode, Parker said Smith was someone who “gets pretty malicious and vindictive.”
“He said that he wanted his ring, so I took it off, and I threw it at him,” she said.
Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said investigators expanded the team working on the case over the past year, reexamining testimony, conflicting statements and evidence collected in 2011.
Detective Phillip McMican said investigators had questioned Smith multiple times over the years and received different answers to the same questions.
Advances in digital forensics also allowed investigators to better analyze evidence from vehicles, phones, computers and other electronic devices.
“We were able to better interpret that evidence today than what we were able to do back in 2011,” McMican said at a news conference Wednesday.
