ORLANDO, Fla. — The attorney representing Dale Smith Jr., who was arrested Wednesday in connection with the disappearance of Michelle Parker nearly 15 years ago, says he was shocked by the arrest and wants to know what new evidence investigators have uncovered.
Smith, Parker’s former fiancé, was arrested Wednesday morning by the Orlando Police Department’s Fugitive Unit and SWAT Team. He is charged with second-degree murder.
Channel 9 spoke with Smith’s attorney, Rajan Joshi, outside the jail Wednesday as he prepared to meet with his client.
Joshi says he has represented Smith since the beginning of the investigation and believes police have been targeting his client for years.
“They searched his house, they did a huge forensics search, they bugged his house. There was no evidence that came up 15 years ago. So what I’m interested in seeing is what evidence they have now,” Joshi said.
Orlando police announced Wednesday that advances in technology helped investigators uncover additional information from evidence collected during the original investigation.
Detectives re-examined witness testimony, Smith’s statements, and digital evidence from phones, computers, and vehicles associated with the case. Police say advances in forensic technology allowed investigators to analyze that evidence in greater detail than was possible nearly 15 years ago.
However, investigators have not publicly disclosed exactly what new information led to Smith’s arrest.
Channel 9 also spoke with criminal defense attorney Mark O’Mara, who is not involved in the case, about how advancements in digital forensics could affect the prosecution.
“There’s a lot there that they didn’t have access to 15 years ago,” O’Mara said.
O’Mara believes cell phone data could play a significant role, potentially allowing investigators to connect information that previously could not be analyzed together.
One of the biggest challenges surrounding the case is that Parker’s remains have never been found. Parker disappeared Nov. 17, 2011, after dropping off her children at Smith’s home. Investigators believe Smith was the last known person to see or hear from her.
Despite not locating her remains, O’Mara says prosecutors can still pursue a murder conviction.
“Now, you really don’t need a body,” O’Mara said, explaining how forensic technology has changed criminal investigations over the years.
But he says the passage of time could also present challenges for prosecutors and opportunities for the defense.
“Don’t forget, even though we have the advances in digital forensics, we also have age on the case, age on the witnesses, evidence, even physical evidence that degrades over time,” O’Mara said.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2026 Cox Media Group
