Michelle Parker vanished after dropping off her twins on the same day a televised court episode featuring the former couple aired.
ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida man has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder nearly 15 years after his former fiancée, Michelle Parker, disappeared in Orlando on the day a pretaped episode of “The People’s Court” featuring the former couple was broadcast.
Orlando police arrested Dale Smith Jr., 55, on Oct. 14 in connection with Parker’s presumed death. Parker, a 33-year-old mother of three when she disappeared, has never been found. Police say renewed examination of old evidence, conflicting statements and advances in digital forensics helped investigators develop the case that led to Smith’s arrest. His attorney maintains that Smith is innocent.
Parker was last seen Nov. 17, 2011, after dropping off the 3-year-old twins she shared with Smith at his home, according to investigators. Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith, who is not related to the defendant, said Dale Smith was the last known person to see or hear from Parker before she vanished. Her vehicle was found abandoned the following day, and her cellphone was later recovered from an Orlando-area lake.
Earlier on the day Parker disappeared, a previously recorded episode of “The People’s Court” involving Parker and Smith was broadcast. The dispute centered on a $5,000 engagement ring that Smith said had been lost after Parker threw it during an argument. Judge Marilyn Milian ruled that both were responsible for the loss and ordered Parker to pay Smith $2,500, representing half the ring’s value.
Police have not publicly identified a motive in Parker’s presumed killing. Investigators also have not recovered her remains. At an Oct. 14 news conference, Orlando police said a larger investigative team had spent the previous year taking a fresh look at the case, including testimony, statements attributed to Smith and evidence from electronic devices, vehicles and other sources.
Detective Phillip McMican said technological advances have allowed investigators to interpret digital and other evidence in ways that were not possible when Parker disappeared in 2011. Authorities said they collected new evidence during the renewed investigation while also reexamining material gathered during the original case. The arrest warrant and supporting affidavit have been sealed, limiting the amount of evidence publicly available.
Smith entered a written not guilty plea Oct. 15. A judge ordered him held without bond in the Orange County Jail pending further proceedings. His attorney, Rajan Joshi, has said he intends to challenge Smith’s detention and has described the prosecution’s case as largely circumstantial. Joshi said Smith has maintained his innocence since the beginning of the investigation and had cooperated with investigators during its early stages.
Joshi told local media that he had reviewed the sealed affidavit in a secure setting. He said it contained new evidence, including recovered text messages involving Parker and Smith and information from a recent interview with one of Smith’s friends. The defense attorney said he had not yet received the full discovery materials and planned to examine the prosecution’s evidence before challenging the state’s effort to keep Smith jailed without bond.
State Attorney Monique Worrell said prosecutors could reconsider the level of the charge if additional evidence supports doing so. For now, Smith faces one count of second-degree murder. The charge is an allegation, and prosecutors will be required to prove the case in court. Police have not disclosed enough of the sealed evidence to allow an independent assessment of their theory of Parker’s death.
Parker’s disappearance drew widespread attention in 2011 because of the timing of the television episode and the extensive effort to locate her. Investigators identified Smith as a primary suspect within weeks of her disappearance, but years passed without an arrest. Police said the case remained a priority and that renewed forensic analysis ultimately provided information investigators believed was sufficient to seek a murder charge.
Smith remains in custody as his defense prepares to challenge his detention and the murder allegation. A date for a further bond-related hearing had not been publicly announced, and investigators said they are continuing efforts to locate Parker’s remains and determine what happened to her after she disappeared on Nov. 17, 2011.
Author note: Last updated October 17, 2026.