{"id":427967,"date":"2026-10-14T21:42:39","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T21:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/427967\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T21:42:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T21:42:39","slug":"timeline-heres-what-we-know-so-far-after-the-disappearance-of-michelle-parker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/427967\/","title":{"rendered":"TIMELINE: Here\u2019s what we know so far after the disappearance of Michelle Parker"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 A nearly 15-year-old cold case was blown wide open on Wednesday after Orlando police announced Dale Smith \u2014 the ex-fiance of missing woman Michelle Parker \u2014 had been taken into custody<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Police announced new updates in the case that led to Smith\u2019s arrest, including new technologies and a reexamination of old evidence.<\/p>\n

Smith was initially pinned as the suspect shortly after Parker\u2019s disappearance in 2011.<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s body has never been found.<\/p>\n

Below is a timeline of the case so far, according to information collected by News 6 from investigators and court records:<\/p>\n

Nov. 17, 2011 (2 p.m.) \u2014 The People\u2019s Court<\/p>\n

A previously recorded episode of \u201cThe People\u2019s Court\u201d aired, featuring Parker and Smith in a dispute over a $5,000 engagement ring. <\/p>\n

During the episode, Parker had reportedly claimed Smith suffered from a substance abuse problem and \u201chad been violent with her in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nov. 17, 2011 (3:18 p.m.) \u2014 Parker\u2019s Last Appearance<\/p>\n

Parker was spotted on a security camera entering Smith\u2019s apartment community to drop off their 3-year-old twins. <\/p>\n

This was apparently the last time Parker was seen or heard from alive.<\/p>\n

Nov. 17, 2011 (4:26 p.m.) \u2014 Brother\u2019s Text<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s brother texted her to ask where she was, and she responded with \u201cWaterford,\u201d referring to an area near Orlando.<\/p>\n

Cell phone towers indicated that she was in fact near Hoffner Avenue, close to Smith\u2019s apartment.<\/p>\n

Nov. 17, 2011 (8 p.m.) \u2014 Cell Phone Lost<\/p>\n

Around this time, Parker\u2019s cell phone stopped transmitting signal to a tower near the Belle Isle area of Orlando.<\/p>\n

Dive teams later recovered the iPhone under a bridge over Lake Conway in Belle Isle, prompting further searches of nearby waterways.<\/p>\n

Nov. 17, 2011 (8:55 p.m.) \u2014 Vehicle Spotted<\/p>\n

Around this time, Parker\u2019s SUV was recorded on camera at the intersection of Orlando-Vineland Road and Conroy Road.<\/p>\n

The vehicle had been stripped of identifying stickers.<\/p>\n

Nov. 18, 2011 \u2014 Vehicle Found<\/p>\n

The next day, Parker\u2019s SUV was found in a parking lot, though Parker herself remained missing. <\/p>\n

Court records show that the vehicle was discovered abandoned near an apartment complex, less than 1 mile from the intersection of Orlando-Vineland Road and Conroy Road.<\/p>\n

Dec. 8, 2011 \u2014 Smith Pinned as Suspect<\/p>\n

By this time, police had identified the suspect in the case as Smith, who also had custody of the couple\u2019s 3-year-old twins.<\/p>\n

March 7, 2013 \u2014 Wrongful Death Suit<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s family brought a wrongful death lawsuit against Smith, who remained the prime suspect in her disappearance.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit \u2014 filed by Morgan & Morgan \u2014 alleged that Smith was responsible for Parker\u2019s death, claiming he \u201cwas negligent or otherwise committed a wrongful act\u201d that caused it.<\/p>\n

However, Attorney Mark NeJame \u2014 who represented Smith \u2014 argued that nothing linked Smith to Parker\u2019s disappearance or death.<\/p>\n

May 23, 2014 \u2014 Amended Lawsuit<\/p>\n

The wrongful death lawsuit was amended, continuing to argue that Smith had \u201cboth the motive to do harm\u201d and \u201cthe means and opportunity to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo other suspects have been identified in the criminal investigation other than (Smith),\u201d the lawsuit read. \u201cHowever, (Smith) has not been charged with a crime related to the disappearance of Michelle Parker.\u201d<\/p>\n

June 11, 2015 \u2014 New Law for Grandparents<\/p>\n

Then-Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill into law that allowed grandparents of minor children to petition a court for visitation under certain circumstances<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These circumstances include if both parents are dead\/missing, or if one of the parents is dead and the other is a convicted felon.<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s parents were supporters of the bill, with her mother stating that Smith hadn\u2019t let them see their grandchildren since Parker\u2019s disappearance.<\/p>\n

Jan. 15, 2018 \u2014 Denied Visitation<\/p>\n

Despite the new law, a judge upheld a decision<\/a> to deny Parker\u2019s parents from seeing their twin grandchildren.<\/p>\n

March 11, 2020 \u2014 Voluntary Dismissal<\/p>\n

The wrongful death lawsuit brought against Smith was voluntary dismissed, court records reveal.<\/p>\n

Aug. 16, 2023 \u2014 Backyard Search<\/p>\n

Police searched the backyard of a home near Texas Avenue as part of the search for Parker.<\/p>\n

At the time, property records showed that the home belonged to Dale W. Smith, and police were seen looking around a concrete slab in the yard.<\/p>\n

However, the agency said nothing was found.<\/p>\n

Oct. 14, 2026 \u2014 Smith Arrested<\/p>\n

Smith was finally taken into custody<\/a> after investigators reexamined testimony and conflicting statements he reportedly made.<\/p>\n

Police Chief Eric Smith said new evidence had also been found over the past year thanks to more advanced technology, including digital forensics that revealed more detailed location data and communications between devices.<\/p>\n

As a result, Smith was arrested at his workplace. He now faces a charge of second-degree murder.<\/p>\n

[RELATED: Dales Smith perp walk]<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 A nearly 15-year-old cold case was blown wide open on Wednesday after Orlando police announced…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":427968,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[2453,265,31742,4424,28,31741,1933,1335,139,141,140],"class_list":["post-427967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-cold-case","tag-crime","tag-dale-smith","tag-death-investigation","tag-florida","tag-michelle-parker","tag-murder","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=427967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=427967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}