TIPTON, Mich. – Police have made an arrest in the murder of Dee Warner, who went missing more than two and a half years ago in Lenawee County.
Local 4 confirmed Warner’s husband, Dale Warner, was arrested Tuesday (Nov. 21) afternoon.
Police have not released the name of the suspect arrested for the murder, but the family said it was Dale.
“Our family has suffered a long share (and) there’s one person who could have eliminated all of that, and that’s the person who is in jail tonight,” said Dee Warner’s brother, Gregg Hardy.
Hardy suspects his sister was a victim of domestic violence.
“My sister was a very strong person,” Hardy said. “I do believe that she thought she could handle the task at hand. She suffered from the same thing a lot of battered women have, and that is (thinking) they can change the person that they’re married to.”
Warner, 52, was last seen April 24 or 25, 2021, at her home on Mugner Road in Tipton, according to deputies. She ran her own trucking company from the barns in the backyard of her home, family members said.
Warner’s cellphone went dead, and all activity on her bank accounts ceased, according to authorities.
Crime Stoppers first asked for help in the search for Warner on May 6, 2021, saying her family hadn’t heard from her in two weeks.
Early search attempts
The Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office was originally in charge of the investigation, but Sheriff Troy Bevier brought in Michigan State Police and the FBI later in the year to conduct digs and use ground-penetrating radar to look for Warner’s body.
“There’s no big tip that facilitated this,” Bevier said during the October 2021 search. “Really, what this is, is kind of a culmination of all the work that we’ve been doing over the summer. We’ve been pretty much following up on every lead and all the information, and this just seemed like a prudent time to come out and do another search -- a really good, thorough search of the property.”
New searches
A Michigan State Police spokesperson confirmed May 2, 2023, that new searches connected to Warner’s case were being conducted along M-50 in Lenawee County.
Officials said they were “looking for leads and information.”
Other than confirming the connection to Warner, authorities did not reveal any other information about the searches.
Arrest
Michigan State Police announced on social media Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, that they have made an arrest in connection with Warner’s murder.
The person’s name is being withheld until the arraignment, and more information about the arrest will be revealed at that time, authorities said.
Tip line
Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to call the Michigan State Police tip line at 855-MICHTIP (855-642-4847), or go to www.michigan.gov/MICHTIP.
