Below is a link to my first entry about Michelle Parker:
Michelle Parker’s ex-fiance, Dale Smith Jr., has officially been named a suspect in her disappearance, according to a news conference police held earlier this afternoon. Smith had argued with Parker on an episode of The People’s Court, which aired on November 17th, the same day Parker disappeared.
According to Orlando Police Chief Paul Rooney, police have asked Smith to take a polygraph and he has refused. Parker’s mother, sister, and brother also addressed the media and pleaded with Smith to come forward with anything he knows.
Over the weekend, SWAT teams raided Smith’s father’s house, but it’s not known what, if anything, they found in the raid. That house is about two miles away from where Parker’s cell phone was powered off at around 8 p.m. the day she went missing.
When asked by reporters if she had heard from Smith or any of his family members, Parker’s mother said that she hadn’t. I find this to be extremely bizarre. If the mother of your grandchildren suddenly went missing, wouldn’t you call her family to see if you can help look for her? The fact that they seem to be avoiding Parker’s family, along with the fact that police raided Smith’s father’s house, makes me wonder if they could possibly know something about Parker’s disappearance.
Parker’s family also told reporters that they still need help with the search. This is one of those times where I wish I lived close so I could help. If you are reading this and know anyone in the Orlando area, please help to get the word out. Here is the link to the Help Find Michelle Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/michelleparkermissingperson.
Crimeline is offering a reward of $5,000 for information leading to Michelle Parker. The anonymous tipline is (800) 423-TIPS (8477).
I’ll post any more updates below.
UPDATE: 11/29 6:05 PM
The Florida Department of Children and Families now has custody of Parker and Smith’s 3-year-old twins, and an emergency shelter hearing will take place tomorrow morning at 10:30 EST.
Smith has also retained Mark NeJame, a high-profile attorney from Orlando. If you recognize the name, that’s because he was an attorney for George and Cindy Anthony, as well as for Texas Equusearch, during the Casey Anthony case.
During a press conference earlier today, NeJame noted that Smith has not been out searching for Parker or comforting her family, because he was busy taking care of their twins. Now that he no longer has to worry about that, let’s see if he actually does something, or if that was a line of BS.
Brad Parker, Michelle Parker’s father, called into the Nancy Grace show tonight, and told her that he suspected that Smith was involved in Parker’s disappearance from day one. When asked why he felt that way, he said it was because of the abusive way Smith treated her. According to her father, he was “very abusive.” On the subject of The People’s Court episode, Brad Parker said he heard that Smith was embarrassed about his portrayal on the show.
Nancy Grace also reported that Smith has quite a violent past.
20 years ago, Smith was a co-defendant in a murder case. He and a bunch of friends attacked two guys coming out of a nightclub. One of his friends stabbed and killed one guy, and Smith kicked the other guy in the head. His friend pleaded guilty to 2nd degree murder, and Smith pleaded no contest for attempted aggravated battery. Smith served six months in prison.
A few years after his prison stint, he joined the military and was eventually discharged, due to domestic abuse. It certainly seems as though Smith has some violent tendencies, huh?
Since the children have been taken away from him, I’m thinking there will be an arrest soon.
UPDATE: 11/30 8:15 PM
At the emergency hearing today, the judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to show that Smith is a danger to his children, and ordered that the children be returned to him.
UPDATE: 12/7 8 PM CST
As the searches for Michelle Parker continue, reports surfaced today that Parker’s iphone has been found. No word on where it was found yet, but hopefully this is another step towards finding her.
SOURCES:
– http://www.wftv.com/videos/news/news-conference-police-name-suspect-in-missing-mom/vFLBz/
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