People's Court mom missing
Michelle Parker, a mother of three, was last seen Thursday afternoon when she dropped off her 3-year-old twins at her ex-fiancé Dale Smith's home. Parker also has an 11-year-old son from a previous relationship.
The feuding couple appeared on "The People's Court" to resolve a dispute about the $5,000 engagement ring that Parker, 32, allegedly drunkenly threw over a hotel balcony during an argument.
Parker's mother Yvonne Stewart told ABC News that when Michelle returned from taping the show in the summer, she said, "It was the most humiliating experience of my life. I don't even ever want to see it. I wish I had never gone."
Stewart said the appearance on the show was Smith's idea for resolving their dispute.
The show offered glimpses into the couple's tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship that dates back to 2006.
"He gets pretty malicious and vindictive, especially when he's been drinking," Parker said in court.
"He shouldn't have put his hands on me and shouldn't have put his hands on me prior," she said. "He shouldn't have left me three or four times over the past year and a half that we've been together."
On the show, Parker accused Smith of cheating on her with at least seven different women and they argued about visitation rights regarding their twins.
Despite the fights and allegations of cheating, Parker's mother told ABC News that Smith is a great father who cares about her grandchildren and her daughter.
"He is crying every time I talk to him on the phone," Stewart said. "He loves my daughter. They just didn't get along."
When asked if she believes Smith could have anything to do with Parker's disappearance, she said, "We don't know. I don't know."
Judge Marilyn Milian ruled on the show that the couple should both have to pay for the ring and ruled in Smith's favor, ordering Parker to pay him $2,500.
"He doesn't deserve either half after what he's done and put me through, but it is what it is," Parker told a court reporter on her way out of the courtroom.
"This fatal attraction relationship here, is there still anything left to it?" the reporter asked.
"No, it's over," Parker replied.
When Smith exited the courtroom, he told the reporter he was "a little upset" and said regarding the relationship, "As far as I'm concerned, it's done. She's the one...she sent me this text message last night saying she still cares and she's just so confused. Now she's changing her story again. Maybe she's bipolar."
Parker's family is fearful, but still hopeful.
"If anybody has her and you're holding her hostage, please let her go," Stewart said. "Let her come home so she can raise her babies."
Hundreds of volunteers have been organizing searches since Thursday, passing out flyers and making t-shirts. The "Michelle Parker Missing Person" Facebook page has more than 3,500 followers.
"My wife's out there. Everybody is searching and let's hope we find her and bring her home," Parker's father Brad Parker told "GMA."
Parker's Humvee was recovered on Friday, but authorities say they have not yet found her iPhone.
"We did find cell phones, but we did not find her cell phone," Orlando County Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jim Young told ABCNews.com.
"We've been receiving a lot of tips. There are constant tips coming and we're following up on every one," Young said.
"We don't want to rule anything out. Everything we're doing is for the safe return of Michelle, that's what we're focused on."
Through contributions from family and friends, a $13,000 reward is being offered for information about Parker's whereabouts.
"We're treating it as a missing person's case," Young said. "We're not saying [anyone] is a suspect or person of interest, but we're talking to everyone that knows and knew her."
When asked if she believes her daughter is still alive, a teary-eyed Stewart replied, "I do. I have reason to believe that she's still alive. Absolutely."
Source: abcnews