A Florida man has been arrested on a murder charge over the 2011 disappearance of his former fiancée, Michelle Parker, who has never been found.
Dale Smith Jr. was taken into custody in Orlando on one count of second-degree murder, the Orlando Police Department said. Parker, who was 33 when she disappeared, and Smith had two children together.
She vanished on 17 November 2011, the same day an episode of the television court programme The People’s Court aired featuring the pair in a dispute over an engagement ring.
Parker’s SUV was found abandoned the following day. Her mobile phone was later recovered by divers from a lake in the Orlando area, but investigators have never located her.
Orlando police chief Eric Smith said Dale Smith Jr was “the last known person to see or hear from Michelle” on the day she disappeared, after she had dropped their children off at his home.
Police said they had expanded the investigation over the past year and taken “a fresh, focused look at all the evidence”. Investigators re-examined testimony and what the chief described as conflicting statements from Smith, while also using digital forensic techniques to analyse additional material.
Detective Phillip McMican said Smith had been interviewed several times and had taken part in depositions connected with the investigation. “Very specific questions were asked of him numerous times over the years, where he gave different answers to those same questions,” he said.
Mr McMican said advances in forensic technology had enabled investigators to “better interpret” evidence from vehicles, electronic devices, phones and computers than they could 15 years ago. He added that “new evidence has been found in the last year”.
Police have not disclosed the precise evidence that led to the arrest. In a statement, however, the department said: “Although Michelle has not been located, all evidence leads to Dale Smith Jr. as the person responsible for Michelle’s murder.”
