A mother went missing after she and her ex-fiancé ended up in the “People’s Court.” He is now accused of murder.

An Orlando man has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of his ex-fiancée, who vanished in 2011 hours after they appeared on a pre-recorded episode of “The People’s Court,” police said.

Dale Smith Jr., 55, was arrested Wednesday at his business on a charge of second-degree murder, police said.

Michelle Parker’s body has not been found, but police said “all evidence points to Dale Smith Jr. as the person responsible for Michelle’s murder.”

Smith was incarcerated in Orange County. It was not immediately clear whether he has retained an attorney.

The arrest comes nearly 15 years after the disappearance of Parker, a mother of three.

She was last seen on November 17, 2011, dropping off her twins with their father, Smith. He was the last person to see her, Orlando Police Chief Eric D. Smith said Wednesday.

The afternoon of her disappearance, Parker and Dale Smith appeared on a pre-recorded episode of “The People’s Court.” In the episode, they settled a dispute over a $5,000 engagement ring.

Smith “becomes quite malicious and vindictive,” Parker told the court. “He said he wanted his ring, so I took it off and threw it at him.”

The day after Parker disappeared, his car was found on Orlando’s west side, with his tanning business sticker scratched on its window. His cellphone was found in a lake south of Orlando, police said.

Smith was considered a prime suspect at the time, but has not been charged until now. In the past, he had denied any involvement in her disappearance.

Police said Smith’s arrest comes after years of investigative work and renewed efforts over the past year. They emphasized re-examining evidence and using advances in digital forensics to “discover and analyze additional evidence that moved this case forward.”

Police shared video of Smith being escorted out of a building in handcuffs and placed in a police vehicle.

Smith, the police chief, said investigators have reexamined the suspect’s testimony and conflicting statements over the years but declined to release details in order to “protect the integrity of this case.”

“The suspect has been interviewed more than once and has since participated in depositions related to this case. And he has been asked very specific questions several times over the years where he has given different answers to those same questions,” Detective Phillip McMican said at a news conference Wednesday.

McMican said technological advances have helped reveal new information from years-old evidence about cars, electronics, phones and computers.

“We were able to interpret this evidence better today than in 2011,” he said. Digital forensics then revealed more detailed location data and communications between the devices used, he said.

New evidence was also discovered last year, McMican said.

When asked if the suspect was surprised when police arrived, the detective responded, “Yes.”

Parker’s mother, Yvonne Stewart, was informed of Dale Smith’s arrest in person.

“It’s like the happiest day because she deserves this,” Stewart told NBC affiliate WESH in Orlando.

She said she has remained hopeful over the years.

“I just knew that one day everything that was dark would come into the light,” she said. “And it was hard, let me tell you. It’s not easy to lose a child like that. And her kids didn’t deserve to lose a mother like that.”

Parker’s eldest is now 26 and his twins are 18, WESH reported.

Parker’s stepmother, Gayle Shabronsky Parker, said Wednesday, “We have prayed since day one for answers and closure. We are happy that karma finally captured Dale.”

“We look forward to a conviction like the justice that Michelle deserves. Also hoping that we will finally be able to find her so she can rest in peace,” she said..

A former peer of Parker also welcomed the arrest.

“I cried a lot today and I’m beyond happy to see him in handcuffs! I knew the day she disappeared that it was his fault,” Jennifer Bryant-Antilla, who attended the Aveda Institute in Orlando with Parker, told NBC News on Wednesday.

Prosecutor Monique H. Worrell, who represents the Ninth Judicial Circuit, said the charge could be upgraded to first-degree murder if the evidence supports it.