Man arrested in 2011 disappearance of ex-fiancée Michelle Parker

Left · 2Dale Smith Jr., 55, was arrested on Oct. 14, 2026 and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the presumed death of his former fiancée Michelle Parker, who disappeared in 2011, Orlando police said. 1 2 Left · 2Parker, then 33, vanished on Nov. 17, 2011, the same day an episode of "The People's Court" about a dispute between her and Smith aired; her car was found the next day, but her body has never been found and she is presumed dead, according to police. 2 1 Left · 1A 46-page arrest warrant affidavit, unsealed on Tuesday on an Orange County judge's order, says authorities believe Smith choked Parker to death at his house when she came to drop off their 3-year-old twins. 1

Left · 2Police said new evidence and advances in forensic technology led to the arrest; Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said investigators "reexamined testimony and conflicting statements made by the suspect and used advanced digital forensics." 1 2 Left · 2According to the affidavit, an Orlando homicide analyst found this year that phone records from 2011 contained unanalyzed data with more precise location and user data, including messages, for both phones. 1 2 Left · 2The affidavit says Parker's phone entered the area nearest Smith's home around 3:15 p.m. and stayed about an hour, contradicting Smith's statement to police that she arrived around 4 p.m. and left 10 minutes later; neighbors' video reportedly showed her vehicle at the home for at least an hour and 10 minutes after Smith said she left. 2 1

Left · 2The phone then left the area around 4:18 p.m. and traveled seven miles west; it was later recovered from a lake. Police allege Smith deleted messages from it and threw it into Lake Conway, and that Smith's own phone, unused from 4:45 to 9:45 p.m., travelled to the same area. 2 1 Left · 1A reply sent from Parker's phone at 4:26 p.m. saying "Waterford" was taken by her brother and detectives to mean she was near the Waterford Lakes shopping center, but the phone was using a cell tower about 11 miles west of it, the affidavit says. 2 Left · 2Between Oct. 1 and Nov. 17, 2011, Smith and Parker exchanged 1,013 text messages, and Smith never contacted Parker's phone again after Nov. 17, according to the affidavit. 2 1

Left · 2The messages in the days before included insults from both sides: Parker texted that she hated Smith and threatened to take away his visitation rights, and accused him of trying to bribe her for sex, which Smith denied. Police wrote that they believe the killing followed days of offensive messages, the embarrassing TV episode and the threat to restrict his access to the children. 1 2 Left · 2The affidavit describes a history of domestic violence that police never documented: Smith was found guilty in 2001 of domestic violence against his then-wife while in the military, and a previous fiancée, Jill Van Mechelen, told police Smith had choked her and threatened to make her and her father "disappear". Parker's sister and friend Angela Nunez described violent incidents and bruises. 2 1 Left · 2Photos taken when detectives interviewed Smith the day after Parker vanished show scratches and abrasions that detectives now believe were defensive wounds; the affidavit notes there is no record of police asking how he got them. 1 2

Left · 1On "The People's Court", taped in June 2011, Smith sought $5,000 over a lost engagement ring; Judge Marilyn Milian found both at fault and ordered Parker to pay $2,500. A former fiancée also told police Smith sued her through a courtroom TV show after their 2006 engagement ended. 1 Left · 1Smith has pleaded not guilty and is held without bond. His lawyer, Rajan Joshi, said Smith has maintained innocence, was cooperative and let police search the house, and that police looked only at Smith as the sole suspect. A judge this week granted a motion limiting what the state and defense can say about the case. 1