Victory for Dee! Dale Warner Guilty!

Dee Ann Warner. Photo courtesy of Parker Hardy

The much-anticipated verdict is in. Yesterday, Dale Warner was found guilty of 2nd second degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of his wife, Dee Ann Warner.

Dee was reported missing on Sunday, April 25, 2021, the day after she planned to tell Dale she wanted a divorce and to sell their various businesses. Dale claimed he found her large diamond ring on his desk. He theorized she had run off to Jamaica or Mexico with another man. Very early on, Dee’s loved ones debunked Dale’s story and said she would never leave them willingly – especially without her nine-year-old daughter.

In November 2023, Dale was arrested and charged with open murder and tampering. The arrest came as a surprise. To date, Lenawee County has never successfully tried a homicide when they didn’t have a body.

In August 2024, Dee’s remains were found in an anhydrous ammonia tank on Dale’s property. The end of the tank had been cut off and rewelded. Duct tape covered her nose and mouth, bound her wrists to her torso, and held her bare feet together. She wore loungewear and a few small jewelry items.

The jurors had to take into consideration the brutality of the murder. An autopsy determined Dee Warner died from strangulation and blunt force trauma to her face and head. She had bruising on her tongue, and petechial hemorrhages on the front of her neck from intense pressure. The blunt force trauma caused contusions on her left cheek, right cheek, left eye, back of her head, left shoulder, and an internal brain bleed.

The prosecution presented a series of damning evidence including:

• A history of marital discord,

• Dale stalked Dee with a vehicle tracker on her Hummer, used the MyCadillac app to track her Escalade more than 2,100 times in just over a year, and set up a hidden camera in the home. He was known to show up or drive by when she was out with friends.

• Dale did not participate in any attempts to find her. However, he told police he used the FindMyPhone app and the MyCadillac app to find her Sunday morning, but forensic experts proved those apps were used before he had been told she was missing. The prosecution believes he unlocked her vehicle to get her purse and phone. Neither have ever been found

• Tracks from the front loader led to the back entrance of the house. The bucket would have been able to set on the deck right outside the sliding glass door of the living room. Dale claims Dee was asleep on the couch in the living room when he left for work around 6 AM.

• Surveillance cameras show Dale gathering welding equipment the day Dee disappeared and moving a welder with his front loader.

• Dale had a welding “sunburn” on his arms consistent with someone who did some welding with gloves and a short-sleeved shirt the day after Dee vanished.

• A police bodycam shows a tank with a non-factory weld by the burn pile two days after Dee was missing. That evening, while police were on the property, Dale was caught on camera moving the welded tank to the Sprayer Barn.

• Dale’s left, middle fingerprint was found on the back of the decal on the newly welded and painted tank.

• It wasn't just Dee that went missing from the Munger Road farm. Dee’s large diamond ring that Dale found on his desk has been lost. The large 5-foot-wide safe the prosecution believes held Dee’s body while the tank was being prepared has also been lost.

• Dale told police Dee was addicted to prescription pills and was bipolar. MSP detectives found no evidence of either accusation.

For five years, Dee’s family and friends have fought relentlessly to get justice. It’s been a long, painful journey.

Gregg Hardy, Dee’s brother, organized a ground search with a large group of volunteers days after her disappearance. They covered over 500 acres on foot. He held several vigils, put up billboards, and a $50,000 reward. Gregg also spearheaded several rallies. One rally was to have the Lenawee County Sheriff's Office give the case to Michigan State Police. They had more experience and resources to solve this complex case.  At the rally, Sheriff Troy Bevier announced he would turn the case over to MSP.  Another rally was to raise community awareness about the circumstances of Dee’s disappearance shortly after Dale had been arrested.

After the verdict, Gregg Hardy said we could change the rallying cry of, "Justice for Dee" to "Victory for Dee!"

Six months after Dee went missing, her friend started the Justice for Dee Facebook page. It became a powerhouse, making a strong showing at rallies and vigils. It now boasts over 25,000 members from all over the world. Dee's family refers to the members as warriors. Throughout these terrible years of grief and uncertainty, they have showered Dee's loved ones with an outpouring of love and support.

Kathryn Adams, family friend and one of the primary admins for the Justice for Dee page, told me moments after the verdict, “I’m a little disappointed with second degree, however, I am pretty confident that Judge Olsaver will hand down a fair sentence. I'm relieved we got the justice we've been seeking, but it doesn't bring Dee back. The only thing we can do is give Dee a voice and continue to do what we have been doing over the last five years. The Justice for Dee page will be active again. Our next order of business is to hold anybody else accountable that needs to be. That includes Dale's son, Jaron, and possibly Detective Greca.”

Dale Warner will be sentenced May 7, 2026

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