October 15, 2026

Dale Smith Jr. Arrested in 2011 Disappearance of Ex-Fiancée Michelle Parker

By The Night Desk

Fifteen years after Michelle Parker dropped her children off at their father's home and was never seen again, Orlando police say they have their man.

The arrest

Orlando police announced Wednesday, October 14, the arrest of Dale Smith Jr., 55, on a second-degree murder charge in Parker's death. Parker, 33 and the mother of Smith's children, disappeared November 17, 2011, after dropping the kids off at Smith's home — the last place anyone reported seeing or hearing from her.

Smith was scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon. Court records did not immediately list an attorney for him.

The case that wouldn't close

Parker's disappearance made national headlines in part because of its timing: she vanished just hours after a pre-taped appearance she and Smith made on the syndicated courtroom show "The People's Court" was broadcast.

The day after she went missing, her black Hummer was found abandoned in a parking lot in southwest Orlando. Her cellphone was later recovered from an Orlando-area lake. Her body has never been recovered.

In August 2023, investigators searched a property belonging to Smith's father and dug up a concrete slab. No remains were found.

Why now

Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith (who is not related to the suspect) said Wednesday the case never stopped being a priority. Over the past year, the department expanded its investigative team and took what the chief described as a fresh, focused look at all the evidence — reexamining testimony and conflicting statements from the suspect.

The biggest difference, detectives say, is technology. Police confirmed they collected new evidence over the past year and gained new insights into old evidence through advances in digital forensics. Detective Phillip McMican said investigators can now interpret evidence from vehicles, phones, computers, and other electronic devices far better than was possible in 2011.

Police have not publicly stated a motive, and the search for Parker's body continues.

Sources: CNN; Florida Today. This is a developing story — we will update as court proceedings unfold.

Source: CNN / Florida Today — read the original report