Michelle Parker's family seeks answers 5 years after disappearance

Tribute held at Ale House in Oviedo

OVIEDO, Fla. – The family of a missing Orlando mother is renewing a call for answers on the five-year anniversary of the woman's disappearance.

A tribute for Michelle Parker was scheduled for Thursday evening at the Oviedo Ale House, 312 W. Mitchell Hammock Road. Parker's mother owns a salon in Oviedo.

Family and friends held back tears as they spoke about Parker. The 30-year-old mother of three disappeared in 2011.

"She should be here with her children -- she should be a mommy, she should be here for Christmas," said Yvonne Stewart, who's also a mom. "And somebody took that away from her and them, and that's just unthinkable."

Parker's mother has been keeping in touch with people that helped in the search five years ago, saying it's been hard on everyone.

"I'm waiting for that phone call to say that they found her, and I'm still waiting," added the father, Brad Parker.

Said Stewart, "All these people that are in here tonight -- that just proves how much she was loved. It's always going to be a deep cut. How could it not be? Yeah, it's tough and I know I'm not the only mother who's lost a child, or the only father who's lost a child, but it hurts all of us deeply." 

Michelle Parker's father issued a statement Wednesday, reflecting on what he said has been a nightmare for his family.

"Why, why have we gone five years now without being any closer to finding Michelle?" Brad Parker said.  "How does someone remove a living, breathing human being who has touched so very many people, including her loving family and friends, to just disappear off the face of the earth without a trace?"

Michelle Parker was last seen alive in 2011 on the same day that an episode of "The People's Court" featured her and her ex-fiance, Dale Smith.

She and Smith were fighting over a missing engagement ring.

Investigators said they consider Smith a suspect in Parker's disappearance, but he has not been arrested or charged in the case.

Parker's father also addressed that issue in Wednesday's statement.

"A guilty criminal, possibly the prime suspect, goes about their life without a conscience thought of shame or remorse? How in the heck is this possible," Parker said.

In May, Smith invoked his constitutional right to not answer questions at the risk of incriminating himself several times during a closed-door deposition. That included when attorneys asked him what he knew about the disappearance of Parker.


About the Authors:

Mark Lehman became a News 6 reporter in July 2014, but he's been a Central Florida journalist and part of the News 6 team for much longer. While most people are fast asleep in their bed, Mark starts his day overnight by searching for news on the streets of Central Florida.

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