In 2011, Michelle Parker appeared on the popular court show "The People’s Court" alongside her ex-fiancé, Dale Smith Jr.
The day her episode aired for all of America to see, Michelle Parker disappeared without a trace.
She has never been found.
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| Michelle Parker |
Background
At the time of her disappearance, Michelle Parker was 33 years old.
She was a devoted mother to an 11-year-old child from a previous relationship.
She also had twins with Dale from their estranged relationship.
The couple's relationship was troubled, filled with constant arguments and regular accusations of cheating.
Considering Dale’s aggressive past, it’s likely that it influenced how he reacted during arguments.
He had previously attacked Michelle in front of the children and had also broken her passenger window while holding one of the twins.
During one serious argument, Michelle threw her $5,000 engagement ring over a hotel balcony because she felt betrayed.
As a result, the engagement ring was lost.
They were initially engaged but ended it due to the violence in their relationship.
After the engagement was called off and the ring was never found, Dale decided to take Michelle to court to recover the money spent on the jewelry.
Their Dramatic Episode in "Court"
In her episode, Michelle said that Dale was a habitual cheater with problems related to anger, drugs, and alcohol.
She explained that Dale became quite mean and vindictive, especially when he had been drinking.
She said, "Every problem we've had has been alcohol-related… It's been a hell of a roller coaster ride and it's poison, and we are done."
During their episode, Michelle and Dale had a brief argument over the custody of their twins before the judge stepped in, and calmed things down.
The Judge ordered Michelle to pay back 2,500 toward half of the ring.
Her Disappearance
At 2:00 p.m. on November 17, 2011, her episode of "The People’s Court" finally aired.
That day, she spent her afternoon running an errand for her mother.
At 3:20 p.m., her distinctive 2007 Hummer was seen at an intersection heading toward the Carter Glen Condominiums.
She was on her way to drop off their three-year-old twins at Dale's place, where he lived.
When her older son came home from school, he found the house empty and his mother missing.
He was confused and he immediately called his uncle, Michelle’s brother.
After receiving the alarming message from her son, Michelle’s brother texted her to ask where she was.
She replied with "Waterford," referring to the Waterford Lakes neighborhood.
Her one-word response worried everyone who knew Michelle, as she typically sent full sentences, and long paragraphs, and often included emojis or "xoxo" to add a personal touch to her messages.
Michelle’s mother couldn’t sit tight with the uneasy text message.
She contacted Dale in an attempt to find help and piece together what was going on.
While on the phone, Dale explained to Michelle's mother that she had gone shopping in Waterford.
This was the same location Michelle had allegedly mentioned in her text.
This revelation only deepened the concern, as it seemed too coincidental to ignore.
However, the story about the shopping trip lacked any evidence.
When she didn't show up for her bartender shift at 7:30 p.m., she was officially reported missing.
Investigation and Aftermath
The following day, November 18th, Michelle’s vehicle was found about eight miles from Waterford Lakes.
When Michelle bought her Hummer, she added a distinctive large decal on the back promoting her tanning business, "Glow Mobile Airbrush Tanning."
However, when the Hummer was found, the decal had been scraped or ripped off.
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| Michelle Parker's hummer |
Further into the investigation, detectives discovered that her cell phone had pinged 7 miles from her last known location at 8:00 p.m. on November 17th.
However, it was abruptly turned off shortly afterward.
Authorities conducted a search, and on December 8th, 2011, divers found Michelle’s phone discarded in a lake under a bridge.
This location was near both Dale’s home and his parents' residence.
Police identified Dale Smith Jr. as their prime suspect but also considered other possibilities, such as a random attack or carjacking.
The three-year-old twins were briefly placed in state custody for one day before a judge ruled that they should remain with Dale.
However, under the agreement, the twins’ grandparents were granted regular visitation rights.
Although an agreement was in place, Dale manipulated the situation and moved to Tennessee.
After moving, he repeatedly refused to let his twins communicate with their grandparents or Michelle’s older son.
As of 2020, Michelle’s parents are pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit against Dale.
However, progress has been slow and disheartening for her family.
Dale remains free, with no arrest or charges against him, and continues to raise the twins.
He also allegedly refused to take a lie detector test.
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| Dale Smith Jr. |
The following year, authorities arrived at Dale Smith Sr.'s home with a search warrant.
Their main focus was his backyard, where he had poured a large slab of concrete just a year after Michelle disappeared.
Despite their thorough search, they found no evidence or remains of Michelle.
Investigators have not made an arrest and have moved Michelle’s case to the cold case file.
Her case remains an unsolved mystery as of today.
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