Dee Ann Warner: Body Found in Tank

Dee Ann Warner. Photo courtesy of Parker Hardy.

Dee Ann Warner was reported missing April 25, 2021, the day after she planned to tell her husband she wanted a divorce and to sell their various businesses. Today, her brother, Gregg Hardy confirmed her body has been found due to another search conducted by Michigan State Police of Dale and Dee’s Tecumseh, Michigan farm.

Dee’s body was found in a 1,000-gallon fertilizer tank in the sprayer barn. Dale Warner used many similar tanks to run War-Ag, his fertilizing business. But the tank Dee was found in was different. According to Dee’s brother, this type of tank was obsolete.

After Dee vanished, Gregg observed Dale refurbishing this old tank and found it unusual. “It was basically worthless,” Gregg said, “and he never did that kind of thing himself. He would have somebody do it. When I questioned him, he said, ‘I just can’t sleep.’”

The back end of the tank was cut off, welded back on, and repainted. A sign on the refurbished tank read, “Do not use.”

An autopsy of Dee’s body is scheduled for Tuesday. “They might be able to determine the cause of death, Gregg said.

Dee’s family suspected Dale was responsible for Dee’s death from the beginning. They never stopped pressuring law enforcement to continue investigating, even though Dale claimed Dee had left him and was living with a drug cartel in the hills of Jamaica.

To Dee’s family, Dale’s story was preposterous. Dale and Dee each had four children from a previous marriage and together had a daughter who was nine years old at the time of Dee’s disappearance. By all accounts, Dee’s family was her world. “She would have never left her daughter, not in a million years,” Parker Hardy, Dee’s nephew, told me in an interview in 2022.

In November 2023, Dale Warner was charged with open murder and tampering. He resides in Lenawee County Jail awaiting trial. The next court date is September 4, 2024.

For Dee’s loved ones, the news her body has been found is met with a turmoil of emotions. “The forever damage he’s done to my sister, our family, and even his family, is unimaginable,” Gregg said. “He needs to pay the price. There are so many innocents that have been affected by this.”

Gregg expressed his gratitude to everyone who rallied to get justice for Dee. The outpouring of support has been overwhelming. “It was an entire community effort to keep justice going. It was a cooperative process whereby good police investigation worked with family members to piece together and uncover Warner’s evil plan to hide my sister’s body forever.”

Dee was declared legally deceased in March 2024. In April, her family invited the community to gather to celebrate her life. Now, they are prepared to see the person or persons responsible for her death held accountable.

For background on Dee’s disappearance, you can start here. Join the Justice for Dee Facebook page for all the latest updates.

In the past three and a half years, Dee’s story has spread across the community, state, country, and world. Strong opinions have been voiced. With this latest evidence, what are your feelings on the case? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments!