Dale Smith Jr. was arrested by Orlando police on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, and charged with second-degree murder in the 2011 disappearance of his former fiancé, Michelle Parker.
The department’s Fugitive Unit and SWAT Team took Smith Jr., 55, into custody at his workplace. Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith announced the arrest at a press conference, stating that the suspect had been the only named person of interest in the case for nearly a decade and a half.
Investigators attributed the breakthrough to a renewed review of the case that utilized modern digital forensics. Officials reexamined electronic data seized in 2011 using improved analysis tools that were not available during the initial investigation.
Detectives also revisited conflicting statements made by Smith Jr. over the years, alongside witness testimony and device communications.
Michelle Parker vanished on November 17, 2011, at the age of 33. She was last seen around 2:30 p.m. that day after dropping off her three-year-old twins at Smith Jr.’s condominium in the Lee Vista area of Orlando.
Her family raised the alarm later that afternoon when she failed to respond to phone calls. Her brother, Dustin Erickson, received a suspicious one-word text message from her phone at 4:26 p.m.
The following day, investigators found Parker’s abandoned Hummer SUV in an Orlando parking lot.
Divers later recovered her cellphone from a local lake in December 2011. Her body has never been found.
The case drew national attention because an episode of The People’s Court featuring Parker and Smith Jr. aired on the exact afternoon she disappeared. The couple had filmed the segment to resolve a dispute regarding a lost $5,000 engagement ring.
During the broadcast, Judge Marilyn Milian ordered the pair to split the cost, requiring Parker to pay $2,500. Parker’s mother, Yvonne Stewart, later said that her daughter deeply regretted appearing on the program.
Stewart reflected on the arrest in an interview with CBS News.
“Michelle definitely didn’t deserve to have her life ended,” Stewart told CBS News.
Following Parker’s disappearance, Smith Jr. obtained full custody of the couple’s twins.
Stewart subsequently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against him in civil court.
With the second-degree murder charge filed, the case has moved into the judicial process. Police said that no additional details would be released while the prosecution proceeds.
More on Michelle Parker
The Orlando Police Department has made an arrest in connection to the disappearance of Michelle Parker, an Orlando mom who went missing on Nov. 17, 2011 – nearly 15 years ago. https://t.co/YfmrLodauU
Today, the Orlando Police Department’s Fugitive Unit and SWAT Team arrested Dale Smith Jr., Michelle Parker’s former fiancé, on a charge of second-degree murder. This arrest follows years of investigative work and a renewed, focused effort over the past year. An expanded… pic.twitter.com/sIQj2cqaXC
BREAKING: An arrest has been made in the missing person case of Michelle Parker. @OrlandoPolice have arrested Dale Smith Jr, Parker’s ex-fiancé on 2nd degree murder charges based on new evidence. Parker disappeared 15 years ago. @fox35orlando pic.twitter.com/NSWUdQxpMH
Florida police arrested Dale Smith at his workplace on a charge of second-degree murder for his alleged role in Michelle Parker's disappearance in 2011. https://t.co/LG37dnOzQZ
