Over Hell and Dale
Friday, December 9, 2011 at 11:22AM November 17
Until I carefully studied a map of the areas where Dale Smith II lives, where Michelle Parker’s cell phone was found, where Dale’s parent’s live, and where Michelle’s Hummer H3 was found, I couldn’t really make a solid assessment of the particulars in the case. Everything was so spread out and information was sporadic at times. Now, it’s all becoming clear. Take the text message made from Michelle’s iPhone when her brother asked her where she was. The response was simple - one single word: Waterford.
Waterford is located in east Orlando, around the Colonial Drive (S.R. 50) and Alafaya Trail (S.R. 434) neighborhood. Most sources affirm that Michelle was not there; that it was a ploy to confuse law enforcement later on, after she was reported missing. If it did, it wasn’t for long.
The reference to Waterford came at 4:26 pm, moments after her brother, Dustin Erickson, asked for her location. Why that text message is so important is because it establishes that Michelle was not in control of her cell phone by that time. It means that sometime between 3:18, the time she dropped her twins off at Smith’s condo, and 4:26, just over an hour later, something happened to the pretty mother of 3 children.
Smith’s attorney, Mark NeJame, said that he had taken his children to visit their grandparents at 4:30, minutes after the ficticious text message. What transpired in his life between 3:18 and then is anyone’s guess.
We do know that the day Dale & Michelle’s legal row over a lost engagement ring appeared on The People’s Court, she was never seen again. How do we know? A security camera recorded her dropping off her twins at the condo just off Goldenrod Road. Because of the camera angle, her departure was not recorded and no one else reported seeing her subsequent to that time. Three minutes earlier, at 3:15, she and her boyfriend, Nathan Mitchell, exchanged flirty text messages. They had enjoyed breakfast together in the morning.
At the moment, I’m not going to second-guess anyone - not Mr. NeJame, Smith’s attorney - and certainly not law enforcement. While Dale Smith is innocent until a criminal court deems otherwise, if ever, the maps I’m providing sure do implicate him in a big way. What it looks like to me is that he is either very stupid for leaving a huge clue next to a bridge, along the most convenient path between his place and his parent’s, or someone else is setting him up to cause his macro-downfall from grace. Other than well documented anger management issues and run-ins with the law, nothing directly implicates him of any wrongdoing. However, in 2009, Michelle tried to obtain a restraining order against him, but it was denied due to lack of evidence.
Any way you look at it, assuming Dale Smith was somehow involved, where Michelle Parker’s vehicle was found sure does point to an accomplice, in my opinion. The drive from his parents to the drop off point is 3.5 miles. Something tells me the real perpetrator or accomplice did not walk away from there unless he/she lives nearby, within walking distance. There’s just too much traffic in Orlando to escape being seen, although the dark of night does offer a practical cover. Still, it’s a long walk, and remember, the longer a person is exposed to the public, the greater the odds of witnesses.
The Orlando Police Department is keeping tight-lipped about what it has, and rightfully so. My understanding is that it’s a lot, but not necessarily enough. In law enforcement’s favor at this time, because this is an ongoing investigation, is that Florida’s sunshine law does not apply. Not yet, anyway. Meanwhile, let’s hope Michelle’s iPhone and cell phone pings offer up enough evidence that justice will be done. Most of all, let’s pray for Michelle and her loved ones.
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Maps courtesy of Google
Dave Knechel | tagged Belle Isle, Dustin Erickson, Lauren Erickson, The People's Court, YYvonne Stewart, iPhone | in Dale Smith II, Dave Knechel, David B. Knechel, David Knechel, Marinade Dave, Marinade Dave Knechel, Mark NeJame, Michelle Parker, OPD, Orlando Police Department, marinadedave | Share Article 
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Reader Comments (50)
Something caused the police to look under and around that bridge. Was it a hunch?
At this momment they are searching a canal behind Dales fathers house..Im suprised they found the phone intact .Hope it helps to bring some answers to resolve this case..Dale is starting to look guilty I M O..Thing is if he did this because of rage over the court tv show,,Not many people would have seen it.Now thanks to one of the participants disapearing millions of people world wide have veiwed it on youtube an other media outlets,
What would we do without the Internet, ecossie?
Not a hunch thease smart phones have G P S technolagy..If its like my blackberry you can turn it of though its not turned of..You hae two options turn of or a full powerdown turn of..Someone whom doesnt have a smart phone may think turning it of is all it takes ..
After reading this, way to go Dave. Now it is starting to make alot of sense. I wonder if anyone has tried to ask the three year olds want went on. I know they are only three, but I know alot of three year olds who know so much. Have a great weekend.
I guess it depends on whether she had GPS activated or not, and the condition of her phone.
It does put things in a better perspective, Cindy. Until studying the maps, I wasn't really sure. I wonder about those 3-year-olds, too. I don't know how much they remember, in detail, anyway. I know we went through this with Caylee starting to talk and all, but toddlers are not trained to remember anything, and they were anticipating the visit with their father.
Thanks, you have a great weekend, too.
They managed to retrive a photo of the phone so they got it powered up..Hairdryers can be used to dry out electrical stuff thats imersed in water laptops phones ect.Saw it on Mythbusters .
iPhones are encrypted. Perhaps Apple will offer their services. I'm sure they would be able to help in this case.
Dave~~thanks for putting those maps up. It makes a person scratch their head and ponder a bit and then go hmmmm.
Michelle's son called his grandmother, Yvonne Stewart and said he got home and his mother wasn't there. This makes me think that once Michelle dropped the twins off at Dale's, she would normally have returned home to be there for her son. This does raise a red flag and leaves some suspicions. For instance- Was Michelle forced to take another route and not go back home? Did the twins accompany Dale when he went out towards the location where the Hummer was located?
I am not accusing Dale of harming Michelle but it does make one wonder what took place when she dropped those twins off. If Dale did watch that program on People's Court, it may have opened up old wounds. It appears that Dale is very sensitive to how he appears to the public and what Michelle had to say about him on People's Court was far from flattering. JMO
I must say that it is good to see you in action again, Dave. Real good! Thank you.
It sure makes me scratch my head, Snoopy, and I have to be careful. Not much hair to buffer my nails.
One would assume that she would have headed back home to see her 11-year-old. Even so, she wouldn't have been home by then, anyway, not that I'm trying to make a point. She couldn't have dropped her twins off in southeast Orlando and made it back to Geneva by 3:30. More like a half-hour, instead. I wonder if he tried calling his mother first and got no response. That would really implicate Dale because only minutes would have passed between 3:18 and 3:30, especially considering that she would have spent several minutes with him and the children before leaving.
I sure wonder what those twins know, if anything at all.
Thanks! I plan on taking my trusty camera down into the neighborhoods soon. I wanted to do it today, but I continued to edit the post.
Dave~~I am not sure what time Michelle's son called his g/mother to say she was not home. I thought it was around 4:00pm ish... I am assuming that once the twins were dropped off, Michelle would have headed home and prepared her son some supper. Then she would have got ready to go to work for 6:00pm. I imagine she took her son to the g/mothers' since he is only around 11 yrs old.
Snoopy, according to the Huffington Post timeline, "3:30 p.m. -- Parker's 11-year-old son arrived home from school. Shortly thereafter he called his grandmother, Stewart, and notified her that his mom was not there." Any way I look at it, she would have been late because from Smith's condo to Geneva is at least a half hour away, probably more.
As for where she would have taken him, I can't speculate. Yvonne must have been in Oviedo, at her salon. That's not so far away from Geneva.
Dave ~~ do you think there is a possibility that forensics can get the cell phone pings from Michelle's phone? I am hoping they can retrieve some info from that phone. If they are successful, we may see an arrest warrant issued. I don't want this to end up as another cold case. I am dealing with so many of those lately, it is disheartening.
I am still going to try and check out the exact time Michelle's son got home from school. The Huffington Post's info is only as good as their source so some of those times may be off. They are Canadian aren't they? Generally, we never get things wrong. LOL
Snoopy - I don't particularly like taking information from another blog, which is what Huffington is, but the timeline looks pretty good. In my opinion, it's not so much an issue over the time between Michelle taking her twins to Dale's place to when her 11-year-old called his grandmother, it's the time after she was seen on video and all that happened after that point. The more time we can whittle away, the more it points to Dale. Sometime between 3:18 and, let's say, 3:40, something happened to Michelle. That's less than 20 minutes! What are the odds that she left his place and was accosted withing that 18 minute time frame? If we also take into consideration that she had to have spent a few minutes getting the twins inside and settled, it cuts directly into those 18 minutes. That means even less time to get the job done. After taking his children to his parents, what happened next? What did he do and where did he go? The whole night is open right now because we don't know what went on in his life, but the police may. Perhaps, his cell phone pings will be more important than hers. If the phone goes off due to the water, where was he pinging?
This is turning into an interesting case, but something tells me it will be over soon. This will not drag on for years.
Dave, thanks for this post and for putting the maps with it. The maps give us a visual as to how far a part he lived from his parents, etc. I hope they are able to get some information off of her phone. I feel so bad for her mom. As a mother you try to hold on to hope that your missing child will come home, but after finding the phone I think she knows something did happen to her. I just can't imagine the pain she must be going through. Let's hope that she had the GPS enabled on her phone because that may give the detectives some clues. I know with my phone I have an option to have it on or off. If I had to say right now if Dale Smith was involved, my answer would be yes. He was the last person to see her alive and he has anger problems. Thanks again, Dave for keeping us up to date with this story and for including the maps.
Dave~~I just showed you this at facebook but it is worth repeating here. The following was taken from the Huffington Post and posted before Michelle's phone was found.
"8 p.m. — Parker failed to show up for her job at The Barn restaurant in Sanford. At about the same time her cellphone stopped transmitting a signal to a tower near Belle Isle."
My question is- will a cellphone immersed in water still ping a tower? Water is a conductor of electricity so maybe the phone will still ping. Can they tell how long it pinged at a certain tower? I am not sure how long it would take the battery to go dead once in the water.
Dave~~I am putting in a little overtime here so remember me with a big Christmas turkey this year!
I am not sure where this place is in relation to Dale Smith's father's home. Check this out...
Divers have been searching the small canal that runs behind 6806 Chaucer Lane in the Sky Lake subdivision this afternoon.
This is near or on a property owned by the senior Smith and occupied by his sister, Dale's aunt.
You may have to add more spots to your map, Dave.
Source of info stated above
Hi, Mary Jo - I don't know how a mother can cope with something like this. I also don't know how an 11-year-old child can live with the loss of his mother. I know when I was that age, and my mother was my life. I was so vulnerable in those days. This is turning into an extremely sad story and I don't like it. But I must write.
My phone has Android and I generally leave GPS off because of the battery usage. Still, I am able to see where I am on different maps, so there must be other ways to make that determination. It could be thru Wi-Fi or 3G, but I can't say.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I'm going to cover this story and offer up whatever information I can find to make it easy to follow. My greatest wish is that Michelle will be found alive, but the odds go against her with each passing day. How sad.
Snoopy - A cell phone in water will short out. Since water is a conductor of electricity, it will zap anything exposed to it.
The other property is owned by Smith, Sr., but divers hadn't found anything in the water behind the house. Not yet, anyway, but I don't think he would put her there, unless he grew up in that location and knew it like the back of his hand. I just don't know, but I doubt it. He's a schemer and that's too easy.
Dave~~it seems that the searchers are going full steam ahead in trying to locate Michelle's body. Here is a video and write up from WESH. Bob Kealing is out at the site they are searching behind the property owned by Dale's father. It is very interesting and the focus really seems to be pointed in Dale's direction. God willing forensics are retrieving info from that cell phone to aid in the searches.
Bob Kealing-WESH
I did see that video on the news, Snoopy, but it was interesting to watch again. Unfortunately, the odds of finding Michelle alive are very dim. I don't like the looks of things.
Dave~~just an aside here. I generally check Orlando Sentinel, WFTV and WESH for news in Orlando and vicinity. WESH, by far has the best coverage. Next time you run into Bob K, tell him that an old backwoods Canadian thinks he is doing a great job!!
I will most certainly tell him that, Snoopy. He will appreciate it, too.
Hi Dave, Hi Snoopy!
Gosh, it is good to see you two together again! Like old times when we all blogged daily. lol
This is such a sad, tragic case. I think LE is just waiting for more evidence before they lock Smith up! He sounds like a vicious bully that lost control. He's not fooling LE for a second.
I've been reading about the horrible murder of the little seven yr. old by Ryan Brunn. Just heartbreaking. I think he has many other victims. GBI is checking his
past really well, thank heavens.
Hope u will keep posting, Dave. You are missed by so many!
Mary B.
Hello Mary B.~~yes, it is good to have Dave back writing again and I get the chance to put some of my sleuthing skills to use. I was getting kind of rusty.
Law Enforcement has to find evidence that will put Dale Smith and Michelle Parker together after she dropped the twins off at Dale's. The surveillance camera picked Michelle up when she went to drop the twins off but, due to the angle of the camera, it did not show her leaving. Hopefully they can salvage some evidence from Michelle's phone. I expect Dale has destroyed his cell phone. Now that he has Mark NeJame as his counsel, like all the others, he will stay silent.
My heart breaks for Michelle's three children as well as her family. Seeing Yvonne Stewart out there searching brought tears to my eyes. I hope for her sake we will find some answers.
BTW, it was nice seeing you too!!
Great post Dave. In reply to your question about what prompted the police to search for Michelle's phone under and around that bridge, here is a link to an abc news report stating police were acting on a tip off. 'People's Court' Missing Mom: Recovered Cell Phone Indicates Foul Play to Family
Hi, Mary B. -
I agree with you that there is more evidence that is being kept behind closed doors for now. I think law enforcement learned a lot from the Anthony case and they will keep the investigation open to ward off the media, but mainly, to get it right. While I am not ready to pronounce guilt, the future does not look very bright for Dale Smith II. Like I said, he is either very stupid or someone is setting him up for one reason or another.
I am not familiar with Ryan Brunn. I don't know if I'll have time to write anything about it, but I will definitely look at the story.
Thanks! I will keep posting, but probably not with the same fervor as the Anthony case. This one is not going to be the circus that the Anthony one was.
Hello, Tiffany! Thank you for providing the link to ABC. Whoever it was, that tip sure did help the police, and it points directly to one person - the only man they are focusing on. I sure do hope it offers up important clues and answers. Unfortunately, finding the phone took must of the hope away from Michelle's family and friends that she would be found alive.
Great to see you!
I hope that I am totally wrong but my intuition tells me that Michelle has died of stab wounds but Dale had nothing to do with it. I would say that Michelle knew the person from seeing him where she worked. I suspect that Michelle, was a selected victim for rape and the perpetrator has killed before. Hopefully, he has attempted to call her on her cell phone and there will be a record.
That's an interesting theory Dell. One I hadn't considered. From reading too many crime novels I would surmise that if DS Jr did anything to Michelle it would have involved rage followed by a soft kill ie choking. Makes sense that a different perp with different ammo would use a different kill method. Tyre covers are waterproof, I'm pretty sure it would have provided at least the benefit of partially obscuring Michelle's body, or been placed underneath her to contain evidence like blood for example. That's all assuming Michelle has met with foul play. At this stage she is still missing.
I can just as easily imagine twins asleep in the Hummer, Dale greeting Michelle at the car in a rage, ripping off the decal, being confronted by her, her hitting her head on the ground after being knocked down and Dale having to be quick to take care of things. Dale Sr's new alleged involvement in drugs, who knows what Michelle could have been involved in that we don't know about? Dale Jr and Michelle were savvy enough to resolve the engagement ring issue in a financially advantageous way via the people's court, what's not to say they haven't enjoyed their five minutes of reality tv fame and created a hoax which has now snowballed? I could speculate all day. Bring on the facts.
I wonder if Mr. Smith has ever mentioned the gators in casual conversation....
Karen C~~I am not too familar with alligators but I heard somewhere that they do not feed from the bottom of a lake. A body not weighted down does become buoyant and comes up to the surface of the water and yes, the gators would certainly devour most of it if not all. Anyone native to Florida would certainly know which lakes are infested with gators. Hmmmm
Morgan and Morgan is pleased to announce that it will provide pro bono legal services to the family of Michelle Parker, a missing Florida mom who was last seen on Nov. 17 after dropping off her three-year-old twins at her ex-fiancé’s home. The firm will also work with the family to establish a trust to fund the rescue efforts to find Parker, as well as provide for her children.
Source-Read More Here
SANFORD — Hundreds of supporters of missing mother Michelle Parker attended a fundraiser for her children Saturday and held onto hope that the Geneva woman would be found alive.
"All you can do is pray," said Parker's brother Brad Parker Jr., who attended with his wife, Melissa, and their daughter Raelyn, 2.
Friends, family and a smattering of strangers flocked to The Barn, a country nightclub, where a carnival of sorts was set up in the parking lot.
Source-Read More Here
Thank you for the links Snoopy. You will work for Turkey? Your hired! lol.
Hi Dave, Karen, everyone. Dave did you attend the benefit at the Barn?
That IS an interesting theory, Dell. Anything is possible, but it will still be tough explaining how Michelle's cell phone ended up near that bridge, conveniently the route Dale Smith would take. Methinks someone doesn't like him and figured that was a perfect place to look.
Gators will feed anywhere they can. Generally, they would pluck an animal from the surface, like little poodle dogs walking along the bank of a lake or river, and take it to the bottom to rest and begin rotting. There it sits until they decide it's time to eat. Do they generally find their prey at the bottom of a body of water? No, but if they happen to be below the water line and something tasty comes swimming by, you bet they'd be very aggressive.
Yes, Tiffany, I did attend the benefit, but not all day. I got there about 2 and left soon after 3. I'll try to do a write-up later today. I did bring my trusty camera.
According to my theory Dale Smith, has never met the killer and there was no intent to frame him. It could be mere coincidence that the killer (if there was one) traveled this route from the place he left the body.
Speaking from my own imagination, if there was a killer he would be an experienced predator, articulate in planning, and charisma to gain trust and confidence from his victims. Removing the decals from the vehicle could be an intended delay for searchers looking for a Hummer with decals?
If Ms. Parker was not harmed while she was in the vehicle then there would be no evidence of foul play. If the act was premeditated, by an intelligent, experienced, killer this would have been thought of in advance.
Just my own thoughts looking at it from a different perspective.
Aside from Michelle being found alive Dell that would probably be the best possible outcome. Much better for the children if their Dad wasn't involved.
Nice work Dave, I look forward to seeing the pics of the benefit. All sorts of links to post here to hopefully give more clarity on the facts that are available. Few as they are at this stage. Oh gosh, it's holidays here, too difficult to focus on something serious when under siege by Zhu Zhu pets and playful kids, lol. I'll probably be in a more sobering mood after i've lost Singstar a dozen or so times. Back later to post properly.
Hello. I used to post here in the beginning of Caylee's case, and I forgot what name and email addy I used. So I'm starting fresh. Dave, I actually sat next to you in court for two days back in March during hearings for Casey. Anyway......
From Nancy Grace transcripts:
GRACE: OK. Let me ask you another thing, Lauren Erickson. I know that her 9-year-old son would get home from school around 3:30 in the afternoon. That afternoon, mommy was not there. Is she normally there when he gets home?
ERICKSON: He is actually 11.
GRACE: Oh, thank you.
ERICKSON: But normally -- yes, no, I`m sorry. Normally he gets off the bus. He has a cell phone that he was given for Christmas one year. And he always -- you know he calls when he`s off the bus. If for any reason Michelle is not there, which she normally -- she usually is he calls her and says, hey, you know, I got off the bus, I`m walking to the house, and one of my aunts live right down the road and either she`ll come over to make sure that he`s got somebody with him.
Or Michelle is like, hey, I`ll be home in 15 minutes or I`m almost there. But, you know, for it to come to 6:50 that night and he gets off the bus at 3:45 and she`s still wasn`t home. And that was when he called me to say, you know, have you seen my mom, because she hasn`t been home yet. And she would never leave her kids un-attended like that ever. I mean -- and especially not even call anybody to see -- you know, to make sure that somebody could get to him if she couldn`t.
Missing "People`s Court" Mom`s Cellphone Found
Also, I believe it was the Nela Ave. bridge, not the Hoffner Ave. bridge, where Michelle's phone was found.
Source: Parker's Phone Found Near Belle Isle
Hi, Lindy - I'll get back to you on your comment, but I needed to do two things - Fix your links so they works, and add another link of my own, which, in the video, clearly disputes that it was the Hoffner Avenue Bridge, not Nela Avenue. Since not all media outlets agree, I will leave my map intact until I find out otherwise. There is clearly a mix-up. Also, if you watch the video with Bob Kealing, the map clearly points out the bridge that separates Little Lake Conway from Lake Conway, and that is the Hoffner bridge, not the Nela one. Watch both videos! The smaller bridge is Hoffner!
Police find missing mom Michelle Parker's cellphone under Belle Isle bridge
The Nela Avenue bridge is a lot longer.
Hey Dave, how have you been, just getting to grips with this latest tragedy, so awful, im still not over the caylee case, i dont think i will ever understand how it ended the way it did, im delighted to see you back in action and i will follow this case because i love to read your work and pray for a better outcome on this one.. take care and have a very happy Christmas, thanks again for taking the time to highlight this case, im sure her family will appreciate it too as so many people respect what you have to say and the more people know the better chance this will end for them.. again take care and great to see you at your best :) cinta x
Sorry I'm late getting back to you, cinta, but here I am, and so are you, and that is always a pleasure. I've been okay, but it took some tests and procedures to help me along the way.
You are certainly not alone with your feelings about Caylee and the outcome of the trial. The Michelle Parker case is about to go cold, I'm afraid to say, but I will do my best to keep digging. This is so sad because of the children she leaves behind and I would like to help. Whether I will or not is something else, but I'd like to.
Thank you for hanging in there with me. I hope I can continue writing, but I also hope that I can write happy endings, too. Meanwhile, I wish you a wonderful Christmas, and don't be shy. I am always around somewhere.
I sent you a couple of emails Dave. One explains the Nela bridge.
Lindy saved me the trouble of finding the links, thank you.
A couple of random thoughts, Michelle probably wasn't set upon immediately at Dales when she arrived then put in the car and transported away because all the twins stuff would have been in the car. To mesh with his story that Michelle had been and gone, dropped off the twins, Dale would have had to leave Michelle laying by the car in broad daylight while he unpacked the twins belongings first. Because I drive the same car, (same colour and everything) I can tell you that they are very poor on interior space. To go grocery shopping for example I have to leave bubs pram at home, carry him into the supermarket and wheel him in a trolley fitted with a baby capsule. If I had twins there would be no space in the back once two car seats were in there. That blows that
theory. I also checked out the tyre cover, there's no way Michelle would fit in it but it could be used to partially obscure her. Also, these cars are massive fuel guzzlers, depending on whether Michelle set off that day with a full tank it would be silly to take it too far with a body or kidnap victim in it in case it ran out of fuel or you then had to risk stopping to buy some. More than likely another car was used to take Michelle some place if she is far away.
Not sure how accurate crime shows are but they portray a difficulty involved in successfully weighting down a body. Surely enough time has lapsed now for Michelles body to resurface. Unless like others mentioned here there are Gators. The authorities are searching a lot of water, they must know something we don't because the tight timeframe and time of day made me think it would be more fortuitous to search land.
Dealing with twins amidst and after a murder, going to his parents soon after, fronting up to work the next day, if Dale did do something to Michelle he is a cool operator, with excellent time management skills, or an accomplice after the fact.
See, one thing I've always heard about homicide in Florida, is that killers there have an extraordinary advantage hardly anyone else has- gators! They do the work for you, and very reliably. I had one roommate from there one Beantown summer in between apartments who'd regale us with stories of bikers, dealers, serial killers, mobsters, etc. disposing of their victims routinely in such fashion. His own father was in "construction" and owned various and sundry "businesses" utilizing small craft planes and boats, and he indicated he'd be joining him once he'd help establish some connections of his own. I don't think he meant in banking. He never bothered finishing senior year and lit out for Home a few months after I left there, my fingernails entirely chewed down to nubs. Since he had become a major consumer of his own family's product I have no idea how/if any of that worked out for him but the gator stories have stayed firmly with me. If I killed someone down in Florida that is exactly what I'd do....
Going with Tiffany's theme, is it possible Dale drove to his parents house with Micheles body and a family member disposed of Michele.
http://www.examiner.com/missing-persons-in-national/michelle-parker-suspects-parents-questioned-now-two-searches-underway
Hi Cali Patti, Great to see you here. It might be a coincidence but it does seem odd that the day after Dale Smiths parents served with investigative subpoenas, answered questions, it was announced Michelles phone was found. It's my understanding from what I'm reading in various articles that if people answer questions honestly when served with an investigative subpoena they are given full immunity.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45590979/ns/today-today_people/#.TuZutaNhiK0
Finally some good news for the Parker family:
http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/225851/19/Michelle-Parkers-family-works-out-custody-
arrangement-for-missing-moms-twins
I am sure this has been said but it seems pretty clear that at 4:26 he was driving over the bridge he likely received the text realized Michelles phone was there quickly typed a different location and tossed the phone out the window. I bet the piece of evidence that lead them there was that ping. They knew the phone was on or around that bridge at 4:26 and as soon as they confirmed that it was they knew the had him. They may be able to lift latents and if they are really lucky those latents will be wove top of all of Michelles and also over the letters in Waterford. But I think with the phone and proving the location was incorrect to the phone actually being enroute to the parents house.... they got him at least enough for an arrest. Which is enough to save the kids!
I really like and appreciate all this sleuthing! Thank you. The input is amazing!