PEOPLE’S COURT MOM’S EX ALLEGEDLY OFFERED HER $2K FOR SEX
Michelle Parker, a 33-year-old mother of three, was allegedly offered $2,000 for sex by her ex-fiancé Dale Smith Jr. one week before she vanished in 2011, according to newly unsealed court documents obtained by TMZ. Smith, the father of her twins, is now charged with second-degree murder, and investigators allege he killed her inside his Orlando home after weeks of bitter fights over custody and their relationship.
The arrest affidavit cited a text exchange between the two from November 10, 2011. Parker allegedly accused Smith of offering her $2,000 in exchange for sex, and she turned him down.
Smith allegedly wrote back that he wasn’t trying to make her feel that way and said he just wanted to spend time with her. According to the documents, he denied that the offer was a sexual transaction.
Seven days later, on November 17, 2011, Parker disappeared. Authorities said she was last seen dropping off the twins she shared with Smith at his Orlando home.
That same day, an episode of “The People’s Court” aired featuring the former couple. They had appeared on the show to fight over a $5,000 engagement ring.
Parker’s abandoned vehicle was found the next day. Her body has never been found, and authorities have described the case as a presumed death.
The phone data that reopened the case
Smith was arrested on October 14, 2026, nearly 15 years after Parker vanished. Reports say advances in digital forensics let investigators take a fresh look at cellphone evidence collected back in 2011.
According to CBS News, phone records showed Parker’s phone entered the cell-service area nearest Smith’s home around 3:15 p.m. That was about 45 minutes before Smith told police she had dropped off the children, who were 3 years old at the time.
CBS also reported that the two exchanged 1,013 text messages between October 1 and November 17, 2011. Smith’s phone records showed no further calls or messages to Parker after November 17.
Investigators also pointed to scratch marks and abrasions on Smith that they believe were defensive wounds, according to authorities.
After the arrest, Orlando police said in a statement reported by CBS News that “all evidence leads to Dale Smith Jr. as the person responsible for Michelle’s murder.”
Smith has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer told ABC News that Smith “maintains his innocence, and we’re going to go forward with defending him.”
The Orange-Osceola State Attorney said the second-degree murder charge could be upgraded if the evidence supported it, the Orlando Sentinel reported. A first-degree charge would require a grand jury.
Smith has not been convicted of anything. He remains charged with one count of second-degree murder and has entered a not guilty plea.
