ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 Days before Dale Smith\u2019s arrest in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of Michelle Parker, Smith\u2019s son went to the Orlando Police Department to ask whether his father was still considered a suspect, according to new court documents obtained by News 6.<\/p>\n
In a motion filed Monday evening, prosecutors asked a judge to keep the affidavit for the arrest warrant for Smith sealed and confidential until Oct. 26, 2026.<\/p>\n
Smith was arrested Oct. 14 on a charge of second-degree murder. <\/p>\n
Parker was last seen November 17, 2011, when Orlando police say she took the children she and Smith shared to his house. On that same day, an episode of \u201cThe People\u2019s Court\u201d aired, featuring Smith and Parker in a dispute over a $5,000 engagement ring.<\/p>\n
[WATCH: Arrest affidavit for Dale Smith still sealed; defense attorney on verge of obtaining it]<\/p>\n
Smith has long been considered the prime suspect in Parker\u2019s disappearance, but he has maintained his innocence. Parker\u2019s remains have not yet been found.<\/p>\n
The latest motion seeks to keep the affidavit confidential because investigators are still conducting witness interviews, according to the filing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Orlando Police Department strategically decided to refrain from doing certain witnesses\u2019 interviews until after the Defendant was taken into custody so as not to incentivize the Defendant to flee prosecution,\u201d prosecutors wrote in the filing.<\/p>\n
The motion states that members of OPD are scheduled to complete the interviews\u2014\u201cwhich require travelling to two different out-of-state destinations\u201d–on Oct. 25.<\/p>\n
The filing also includes more information about the days leading up to Smith\u2019s arrest.<\/p>\n
[FULL TIMELINE: Disappearance of Orlando mom Michelle Parker]<\/p>\n
On Oct. 2, Smith\u2019s son came to OPD \u201cinquiring about the status of the case and whether his father was still a suspect,\u201d according to the motion.<\/p>\n
One day before Smith\u2019s arrest, OPD learned that Smith had bought an airline ticket to Columbia with a departure date of Oct. 16, 2026, \u201cand a return date, which could be easily cancelled, of Oct. 19, 2026,\u201d according to the motion.<\/p>\n
The state\u2019s motion was filed on the same day that News 6 and two other local media outlets moved to intervene in the case \u201cfor the limited purpose of opposing the continued sealing of judicial records.\u201d<\/p>\n
The motion from the three media outlets argued that \u201cno criminal investigative purpose is served by keeping [the arrest warrant affidavit] sealed.\u201d<\/p>\n
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