Naman Shrestha
When Dee Warner went missing from her house in Michigan in April 2021, it caused her loved ones to feel concerned about her well-being and whereabouts, except for her husband, Dale Warner. While the search to find her or any trace of her was going on, the suspiciously indifferent mannerism of Dale didn’t go unnoticed by the missing woman’s family. Before her body was even found, he was accused of her murder and arrested by the authorities. The entire case is explored in a detailed manner in CBS’ ’48 Hours: The ‘No Body’ Case of Dee Warner,’ which also features interviews with Dee’s loved ones and officials linked to the investigation.
Dale Warner Was Cooperative During the Search of His Missing Wife
Dale Warner was the second husband of Dee Warner, with whom he shared one child. Residing on a farm in Franklin Township, Michigan, the couple owned three main businesses that they ran from their property, including a trucking business, a farming business, and a chemical company that dealt with seeds and fertilizers. When the 52-year-old woman went missing on April 25, 2021, the police were informed about her sudden disappearance by her daughter, Rikkell Bock. She claimed that her mother had gotten into a fight with a couple of employees in the trucking business the previous day and was not in a good place.
The authorities went over to the farm property to learn more about the disappearance case. Upon questioning Dale about her, he corroborated the story of Rikkell. He admitted that he wasn’t too concerned about her because it wasn’t the first time she left the house like that. He believed that she would eventually return to him after cooling off. When Dee failed to show up and remained missing, an extensive search was launched. Her brother, Gregg Hardy, found the lack of effort from Dale’s end during the search a bit suspicious. However, over the weeks following her disappearance, Dale had talked to the police multiple times and even cooperated with them during the search of his properties.
Dale Warner Was Suspected of Being Involved in the Disappearance of His Wife By Her Loved Ones
When Dale Warner felt the cloud of suspicion over him, he repeatedly denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance. However, her loved ones refused to believe him and tried to prove his guilt. In order to psychologically pressurize the suspect, Gregg even paid for a billboard that read, “Help Dale Find Dee,” which was put up near the Warner house. As the police talked to other witnesses, they learned that the couple was allegedly involved in an argument about their business, and Dee had asked for a divorce the night before she went missing. According to one of her friends, she even asked her to keep her daughter with her for the night as she didn’t want the child to witness them arguing.
Dale Warner did not conceal the fact that they argued the previous night regarding business and infidelity, claiming that it was “the worst argument of his life.” Furthermore, he told the detectives that he had gone out of the house around 6 am the following morning while his wife was asleep on the couch. However, according to the investigators, the suspect’s statements about the fateful morning didn’t add up, as there were lots of inconsistencies. What made him more suspicious in the eyes of the authorities was Rikkell’s claims of him being an abusive husband to Dee, as he had allegedly stalked her, put a tracking device on her vehicle, and was violent with her. Despite the best search efforts of the police and people in the community, Dee Warner could not be found and was eventually declared deceased.
Dale Warner is Currently Awaiting His Trial
In light of all the testimonies from the witnesses and circumstantial evidence against 56-year-old Dale Warner, the police arrested him on charges of open murder and tampering with evidence in relation to Dee Warner’s disappearance in November 2023. Maintaining his innocence, he pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. Several months later, the investigators obtained a search warrant for one of his properties on Paragon Road, located about a couple of miles away from the Warner house. During the search on August 17, 2024, they came across Dee’s remains hidden inside a resealed anhydrous tank.
Upon conducting an autopsy, her death was officially declared as a homicide. In the same month, the accused’s defense attorney issued a statement following the discovery of the remains. He stated, “The latest update from the police is a tragic turn of events for all those who loved and cared for Ms. Warner. However, this does not change Mr. Warner’s position, and we are prepared to fight for him at trial.” Dale Warner’s trial for the murder of his wife, Dee Warner, is scheduled to commence on September 2, 2025, and last for about six weeks or so. As of now, he is held up at one of the county jails while he awaits his trial date.
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