Florida man arrested on murder charge in ex-fiancée

A man has been arrested on a murder charge in connection with the disappearance of his ex-fiancée nearly 15 years ago, authorities in Orlando, Florida, announced Wednesday.

The Orlando Police Department reported Wednesday that Smith was taken into custody on a single count of second-degree murder.

Parker's SUV was located abandoned one day after she went missing, but she has never been found. Parker and Smith have two children together.

The police chief said that over the past year, his department expanded its investigation into the case and "took a fresh, focused look at all the evidence."

Smith Jr. has been interviewed by investigators multiple times, Orlando police Det. Phillip McMican said Wednesday, and he had also taken part in several depositions related to the investigation as well.

McMican said that advancements in forensic technology allowed investigators to "better interpret" evidence — including vehicles, electronic devices, phones and computers — than what was available to them 15 years ago.

The exact details of what specifically prompted the arrest were not provided, however.

According to CBS affiliate WKMG-TV, on the night she disappeared, Parker was captured on security video dropping her children off at Smith Jr.'s home. Her vehicle was found abandoned the following day in an Orlando parking lot, WKMG-TV reports, and her cellphone was located by divers in an area lake in December 2011. Smith Jr. had been a suspect in the case since around that time.