‘People’s Court’ Star Michelle Parker’s Ex-Fiancé Arrested 15 Years After Her Disappearance

Michelle Parker’s ex-fiancé Dale Smith Jr. was arrested 15 years after her disappearance, which happened just days after they argued on The People’s Court over a lost engagement ring.

On Wednesday, October 14, the Orlando Police Department announced on social media Smith Jr.’s arrest on a second-degree murder charge.

“This arrest follows years of investigative work and a renewed, focused effort over the past year,” the OPD captioned a video of Smith Jr. being escorted into a police vehicle in handcuffs. “An expanded investigative team reexamined evidence and used advances in digital forensics to uncover and analyze additional evidence that moved this case forward.”

The OPD added, “While Michelle has not yet been located, all evidence leads to Dale Smith Jr. as the person responsible for Michelle’s murder. We will continue pursuing justice for Michelle, her family, and every victim we serve.”

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Parker was last seen when she dropped her 3-year-old twins at Smith Jr.’s condo on November 17, 2011. Just hours before, she and Smith Jr. argued in a filmed episode of The People’s Court over her allegedly throwing an engagement ring off a balcony. (He sued her for $5,000, the value of the ring; she was ordered to pay $2,500.) Parker never arrived at her job as a bartender that day.

The following day, Parker’s vehicle was found in an abandoned parking lot, per People. Her iPhone was discovered in a lake three weeks after that.

In The People’s Court episode, Parker claimed that Smith Jr. “gets pretty malicious and vindictive.” She also told Judge Marilyn Milian, “He’s a mean person, especially when he’s drinking.”

Parker filed for a domestic violence injunction against Smith in August 2009, per the New York Post. In the filing, she alleged that he smashed her truck window during an argument while holding their young daughter. The order was ultimately tossed a month later.

To “protect the integrity” of the investigation, Smith said he would not discuss specific details.

In a Wednesday news briefing, Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said Smith Jr. was “the last known person to see or hear from Michelle” before her disappearance. His arrest came after investigators “re-examined the testimony, conflicting statements made by the suspect, and used advanced digital forensics to uncover and analyze additional evidence.”