ORLANDO, Fla. — Family and friends gathered Thursday night to remember a mother on the fifth anniversary of her disappearance.
Despite there being no sign of Michelle Parker, her mother, Yvonne Stewart, said there’s no doubt in her mind that her daughter is dead, and her focus has shifted solely to her grandchildren.
The only suspect in Parker’s disappearance is Dale Smith, her ex-fiancee.
Parker’s car was found the next day abandoned at an apartment complex near the Mall at Millenia.
He was the last one to see her after she dropped off their two children with him.
Her phone was found near a bridge almost three weeks later, but no arrest has been made.
“Someone killed Michelle Parker. And somebody should have to pay for that?” asked Channel 9’s Shannon Butler.
“I know that they will pay for it when their day comes,” said Stewart.
Stewart is now focused on being able to see her grandchildren, who are in Smith’s custody.
The Grandparents Law, which offers visitation rights to grandparents if their child dies, has passed, so now Stewart is moving through the courts for visitation rights.
“I am not out to sabotage Dale. I just want to be able to see my grandchildren and I didn’t do anything wrong,” Stewart said. “That’s all I have. The hole is deep enough, and without even being able to see them—it is heart-wrenching.”
Orlando police said the case into Parker’s disappearance is still ongoing.