Florida police are taking a fresh look at the disappearance of Michelle Parker, an Orlando mother of three who vanished nearly three years ago, after an episode of "The People's Court" featuring her and her ex-fiancé aired.
Authorities have conducted a search of a swampy area near the Carter Glen condominiums, where Parker's ex-fiancee Dale Smith once lived. Authorities also revisited a lake where her cell phone was found two weeks after her disappearance.
An Orlando Police Department spokeswoman told HuffPost that approximately 30 officers participated in Friday's search. She did not indicate whether authorities were looking for anything in particular.
Parker's mother, Yvonne Stewart, told ABC News that investigators are trying to locate a tanning business decal that was missing from her daughter's vehicle when it was found after her disappearance.
"They thought they should go back and take a look," Stewart said.
Parker has been missing since Nov. 17, 2011, the same day a prerecorded episode of "The People's Court" featuring herself and Smith aired on national TV. The two were on the show to settle a dispute over a $5,000 engagement ring that was lost after she threw it at him during an argument.
During the program, which had been taped months earlier, Parker alleged that Smith had a drug and alcohol problem and had been violent with her in the past.
"He gets pretty malicious and vindictive," Parker said on the show. "And he's a mean person, especially when he's been drinking. He shouldn't have put his hands on me, and he shouldn't have put his hands on me prior. He shouldn't have left me three or four times over the past year and a half that we've been together."
After hearing both sides, Judge Marilyn Milian ruled the couple should split the cost of the ring and ordered Parker, then a 33-year-old mother of an 11-year-old son and two 4-year-old twins, to pay $2,500 for her half.
A few hours after the episode aired, Parker dropped her twins off at Smith's condo for a scheduled visitation. At 7:30 p.m., Parker failed to show up for her job at The Barn restaurant in Sanford. Roughly 90 minutes later, her Hummer was captured on surveillance video at the intersection of Vineland and Conroy roads. Authorities said they have been unable to determine who was driving the vehicle.
On Nov. 18, Parker's 2008 black Hummer H3 was found in a parking lot on the west side of Orlando. Decals for her Glow mobile tanning business had been removed from the windows, police said.
The missing mom's cell phone was later found by a police dive team under the Nela Bridge in Belle Isle. The location is not far from the cell phone tower that registered the last ping from Parker's iPhone on the day she disappeared.
Despite multiple searches conducted since that time, police have been unable to locate Parker. Her twins have been living with Smith out-of-state since her disappearance. Her son is from a previous relationship and is living with his father.
Smith's attorneys have repeatedly told reporters he is not involved in Parker's disappearance.
Michelle Parker's father, Brad Parker, told Mynews13.com Friday that additional searches will be conducted in connection with his daughter's case when the weather improves.
"It's a lot of wetlands out there, they're going to let it dry up and then they're going to search again," he said.
Parker added, "It’s just a matter of time [before] we’re going to find out what happened to Michelle."
Michelle Parker was last seen wearing jeans, a Florida Gators sweatshirt and a silver cross necklace. Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to call Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.
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