ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The prime suspect in the disappearance of an Orange County mother will be questioned at a deposition in a civil lawsuit, investigators said.
Investigators said Michelle Parker has been missing for four years and the main suspect, Dale Smith, will be questioned at the Morgan and Morgan office next week.
Smith will likely take questions by video from his home in Tennessee in the court ordered deposition, but he hasn't been ordered to answer any questions, according to authorities.
It's been over two years since Parker's mother, Yvonne Stewart, filed a civil lawsuit against Smith. She believed it was the only way to get answers about what Smith may or may not know about her daughter's disappearance.
Smith's attorney's tried to have the case dismissed last year and defense attorney's tried to put the case on hold while the criminal investigation into his alleged involvement went forward, authorities said.
A judge ruled that case would continue without delay and so would a deposition of the case's only suspect, Smith.
"It's been a long time coming," Stewart said.
Stewart's lawyer John Dill said he believes the deposition will go forward, but Smith may plead the 5th in order to not answer questions that may incriminate him in the ongoing investigation.
"I don't expect you're going to see much out of this deposition. I fully expect we will see him take the 5th amendment on all questions," WFTV legal analyst Bill Scheafer said.
Questions in the case will be similar to a police investigation and Scheafer doesn't believe Smith will ever answer anything for police or lawyers.
Stewart did not want to speak Friday, but said she is waiting patiently for the deposition, which was scheduled for Friday but not will likely happen in July.
WFTV
