A man has been arrested on murder charges in connection with the disappearance of his ex-fiancée nearly 15 years ago, authorities in Orlando, Florida, announced Wednesday.
Michelle Parker, then aged 33, disappeared on November 17, 2011, the same day that an episode of the reality television show “The People’s Court” aired, featuring Parker and the suspect, Dale Smith Jr., in a controversial dispute over an engagement ring.
The Orlando Police Department reported Wednesday that Smith was arrested on a single count of second-degree murder.
Orlando Police Department 
Parker’s SUV was located abandoned a day after she disappeared, but she was never found. Parker and Smith have two children together.
Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said at a news conference after Wednesday’s arrest that Smith Jr. was “the last person known to have seen or heard from Michelle” on the day she disappeared after she dropped their children off at his home.
The police chief said that over the past year, his department has expanded its investigation into the case and “taken a fresh, focused look at all of the evidence.”
“We re-examined testimony and conflicting statements made by the suspect and used advanced digital forensic techniques to uncover and analyze additional evidence,” Smith told reporters.
Smith Jr. was questioned several times by investigators, Orlando police Det. Phillip McMican testified Wednesday, and he also participated in several depositions related to the investigation.
“Very specific questions were asked of him many times over the years, and he gave different answers to those same questions,” McMican said of Smith Jr.
McMican said advances in forensic technology have allowed investigators to “better interpret” evidence – including vehicles, electronics, phones and computers – than was possible 15 years ago.
McMican also revealed that “new evidence has been uncovered over the past year.”
However, the exact details of what precisely prompted the arrest were not provided.
In a separate statement, police said that although Parker has not been located, “all evidence points to Dale Smith Jr. as the person responsible for Michelle’s murder.”
Smith Jr. has long denied any wrongdoing.
According to CBS affiliate WKMG-TV, the night of her disappearance, Parker was caught on security video dropping her children off at Smith Jr.’s home. Her vehicle was found abandoned the next day in an Orlando parking lot, WKMG-TV reports, and her cellphone was found by divers in an area lake in December 2011. Smith Jr. had been a suspect in the case since around that time.
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