ORLANDO, Fla. — A newly released arrest affidavit alleges that phone records, surveillance footage and injuries photographed on Dale Smith II helped investigators build a murder case against him in Michelle Parker’s disappearance.
The 46-page document details investigators’ theory that Smith killed Parker inside his home on Nov. 17, 2011, after she arrived to drop off their twins. Detectives allege that their phones later traveled together toward the Lake Conway area, where Parker’s phone was recovered.
Smith, also identified as Dale Smith Jr., pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder following his Oct. 14 arrest. Parker’s remains have not been found.
Renewed review of phone records
According to the affidavit, an Orlando police homicide analyst reviewing the original cellular records in 2026 identified additional location and messaging information that had not previously been analyzed.
Investigators wrote that the information was likely not readable to detectives in 2011. They used the additional data to reassess surveillance footage collected during the original investigation.
Detectives say that review contradicted Smith’s initial account of when Parker arrived, how long she stayed and the route he took after leaving his home.
The affidavit also compares his initial statements with answers he gave during a 2016 deposition in a civil lawsuit brought by Parker’s family.
In his initial interview, Smith said Parker arrived around 4 p.m. and left around 4:10 p.m., according to the document. During the deposition, he placed her arrival at 3:18 p.m. and said she brought the children inside.
Investigators say the earlier arrival time matches the evidence they reviewed.
A text message and a different location
At 4:26 p.m. on the day Parker disappeared, her phone sent a message reading “Waterford” in response to her brother asking where she was, according to the affidavit.
But detectives say the phone was using a cell tower near Hoffner Boulevard, approximately 11 miles west of Waterford Lakes. They wrote that the records did not show the phone traveling toward the shopping area.
Investigators allege Smith likely sent that response. The affidavit does not establish that through an admission from Smith.
Detectives also say cellular data placed Smith’s and Parker’s phones together as they traveled from his home toward the area of Nela Avenue at Lake Conway. Parker’s phone was later found in the lake near Nela Avenue, according to the document.
Photographs show scratches and abrasions
The affidavit includes photographs taken after detectives interviewed Smith on Nov. 18, 2011.
Investigators describe scratches near his mouth, on his lower lip and on his left wrist and forearm, along with abrasions on both elbows.
Detectives now allege those injuries were consistent with Parker fighting back. The affidavit states there is no record of investigators asking Smith about the injuries during the original investigation.
The document alleges Smith choked Parker to death. That is investigators’ theory; the charge has not been proven in court.
The affidavit also acknowledges that a search of Smith’s home on Nov. 18, 2011, found no evidence directly connecting him to Parker’s disappearance.
Witnesses recalled seeing Parker’s vehicle
Detectives interviewed two witnesses again in September 2026 about seeing Parker’s Hummer in Smith’s neighborhood on the evening she disappeared.
According to the affidavit, both recalled large stickers on the vehicle’s rear window. Investigators say their accounts placed the Hummer in the neighborhood after the time Smith said he had left to take the children to his parents’ home.
The affidavit also describes messages between Smith and Parker and accounts from relatives and friends alleging prior threats and domestic violence.
What happens next
The newly released affidavit provides the supporting allegations that were absent from the shorter warrant paperwork previously obtained by Channel 9.
Channel 9 previously reported on efforts to unseal evidence in the case.
Smith has denied involvement in Parker’s disappearance and entered a not-guilty plea. The affidavit presents investigators’ account supporting his arrest, rather than a finding of guilt.
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