Dale Smith Jr. Charged in 2011 Disappearance After Digital Evidence Review

Dale Smith Jr., a 55-year-old Orlando resident, was arrested on October 14 and charged with second-degree murder in the 2011 disappearance of Michelle Parker. Court documents unsealed on Tuesday reveal that new analysis of cell phone data and text messages provided the link that solved the fifteen-year-old case. Parker’s body has never been found.

The pair appeared together on the television show The People’s Court on November 17, 2011. They were there to settle a dispute over a 5,000 dollar engagement ring that Parker allegedly threw off a balcony. The judge ruled that both parties were responsible for the ring and ordered them to split the cost. At the time, Smith was 40 years old and Parker was 33, and they shared custody of twin children.

Surveillance footage contradicts Smith’s account of the afternoon. He told investigators that Parker dropped the children off at his home and left about ten minutes later. However, cameras showed Parker’s Hummer remaining at Smith’s residence for at least one hour. Footage places her car arriving at his building at 3:18 p.m. and both phones leaving the location at 4:18 p.m.

Phone records show the devices moving west from Smith’s home by 4:32 p.m. This direction conflicted with Parker’s stated plan to travel north to pick up her oldest son. Parker’s brother, Dustin Erickson, texted her asking where she was. Her phone responded with the word Waterford, referring to the Waterford Lakes Town Center mall located 12 miles northeast. The affidavit notes that Parker’s phone never traveled east or north toward that shopping center, and Erickson stated she had no reason to deceive him about her location.

Smith previously claimed he did not know where Parker went after the taping. He told investigators he believed she was laying low after the episode aired. The arrest warrant states that according to his phone records, Smith never called or messaged Parker again after November 17, 2011. Police also noted a history of domestic violence. Jill Van Mechelen, an earlier ex-fiancée, testified that Smith would strangle her and threaten to kill her and her father, telling them he would make them disappear. Smith’s attorney declined to comment on Wednesday due to a court gag order.