Dee Ann Warner: Cause of Death Determined

Dee Ann Warner. Photo courtesy of Parker Hardy.

Dee Ann Warner: Cause of Death Determined

Gregg Hardy, brother of Dee Ann Warner, told me this evening the body found on Dale Warner’s property was identified as his sister. The tank was confiscated by Michigan State Police while searching the property over the weekend. The tank was transported to Detroit. X-rays showed a body was inside.

The tank had been cut open and rewelded. There was no liquid inside.

An autopsy was performed yesterday. Gregg learned today the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the body was Dee’s and determined she died from strangulation.

Dee vanished from her Tecumseh, Michigan farm the morning after she had planned to tell Dale she wanted a divorce. Her adult children reported her missing April 25, 2021. In the days following her disappearance, search parties scoured the acreage around the Warner home looking for Dee. Dale did not participate in any of the searches, vigils, or rallies.

Dee’s family and friends found his behavior unusual. Court testimony revealed Dale exhibited stalking behavior. He put a secret camera behind their bar in the kitchen, a tracking device on her vehicle, and would often leave his iPad hidden in her office which he used to record her conversations. But when she was gone without a trace, Dale seemed uninterested as to her whereabouts.

Suspicions arose and Dee’s loved ones worked tirelessly to pressure law enforcement to take action. It was a fight fraught with frustration and disappointment. But they never gave up. When they were ignored, dismissed, and discredited – they vowed to just get louder.

Weeks ago, a conversation Gregg had with Michigan State Police resulted in authorities searching Dale and Dee’s property again. Gregg remembered Dale refurbishing an old fertilizer tank shortly after Dee disappeared. Gregg found it odd. The worthless tank was obsolete, and Dale would normally have someone else do that kind of work.

Eventually, the tank was moved to Dale and Dee’s property on Paragon Road, a few miles from the Warner farm. Police found the tank in an old barn. It sat a distance from the other tanks. There were non-factory welds on it and a sign read, “Do not use.”

Dale and Dee were married in 2006. Each had four children in a previous marriage. They were adults at the time Dee went missing. Together, Dale and Dee had a daughter who has not seen her mother since she was nine.

In November 2023, Dale Warner was arrested for open murder and tampering. The prosecuting attorney provided enough evidence in the preliminary exam for the case to proceed to a jury trial. Dale’s pretrial hearing is set for September 4, 2024.

If you’d like background on Dee’s case, you can start here. For all the latest updates, join the Justice for Dee Facebook page.

People have been following the case for years and sending an outpouring of support to Dee’s family. If you’d like to share your thoughts, I’d love to read them in the comments!