Dateline Originals - Dateline: Missing in America - Ep. 7: UPDATE: Dee Ann Warner

Episode Date: December 19, 2023

UPDATE: In November of 2023, Dee Ann Warner’s husband was charged with her murder. Dale Warner was also charged with evidence tampering in the case. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges. In August 2024, Dee’s body was found on property owned by her husband. Her death has been ruled a homicide. Josh Mankiewicz reports. Listen to our original podcast on the case here: https://link.chtbl.com/dee_ann_warnerThis episode was originally published on November 22, 2023. 

It's been two and a half years since Deanne Warner disappeared without a trace from her home in Michigan. We told the story of this 52-year-old grandmother in Season 1 of Dateline Missing in America 2022. Now we have a big development to report. There's been an arrest in her case. I'm Josh Mankiewicz, and this is a Missing in America update. On Tuesday, November 21st, 2023, Dale Warner, Deanne's husband, was arrested and charged with

murder and tampering with evidence in connection with her disappearance. The 53-year-old Warner was arraigned the next morning in Lenawee County District Court. Deanne's family, including her brother, Greg Hardy, were in the courtroom, sitting right behind the prosecution table. It's a bittersweet thing. Listen, I've known this family all of my life. It's horrible to have to be at odds about one of their family members who I've known all of my life. And so I have to stay focused on the reality that it happened. Sometimes it feels almost impossible that it could have happened, but I stay focused on the facts that demonstrate that it did happen and who did it.

And I'm a firm believer in justice. of chasing this around to get to the point where the authorities had concurred with what we have been pushing for for a long time. Dale Warner joined the court proceedings via a video link from the Lenawee County Jail. He sat in front of a white cinderblock wall, wearing an orange jumpsuit, his hands folded in his lap. You can see Warner had written notes in the left breast pocket of his orange jailhouse shirt. He did not read from them, instead answering yes and no to the court's questions. Dale Warner pleaded not guilty to both charges. His bond was set at $20 million. Dateline reached out to Warner's attorneys for

comment. They responded, quote, We believe that a fair and objective review of the evidence, or more precisely the lack of evidence in this case, will show that Mr. Warner did not kill his wife, unquote. They added that they, quote, intend to vigorously fight, unquote, the charges on behalf of their client. Dale was Deanne's second husband. They lived along a small country road where Deanne's vast property

spanned thousands of acres, a property where Dale continued to live after his wife's disappearance. It's also a property police have searched multiple times over the years, including in May 2023, when they enlisted the help of cadaver dogs. We know they didn't find a body. We don't know what else they might have found. Now Deanne's family sees her husband's arrest as progress. Her brother Greg.

It's obviously a very large step forward following a huge amount of time spent trying to push the process, trying to make the process accountable. And for the family, it is a big relief that all the stuff that we've believed in and have, you know, spoken of in rallies and in vigils for my sister. We've been open about it, and it's finally been, you know, been basically brought to fruition because of the investigation coming to the very same conclusion that we have come to over time. Despite the welcome news, the fact remains that their sister, mom, grandma,

has never been found. It's difficult. It's, you know, the pain has not gone away. The actual event that took place and, you know, not having any closure to that is haunting for the family. We have all, I believe, resigned ourselves to the fact that there is no other option than she has been killed in her body some way, hidden or destroyed by Mr. Warner. And the only good thing is that now we finally have a little peace of mind that there is impossible justice here after two and a half years. And, you know, my sister was the kind of person who would have praised this kind of a fight. She was a fighter. And I think she would be pleased that someone is carrying on the fight for her because that's what she would do for

someone else. She would fight for the justice for someone else. There's little doubt about that. Holidays are the hardest for Dee's family. They say her absence for the past two and a half years is a void that will never be filled, no matter the outcome of these charges. Thanksgiving was kind of a holiday that my sister tied all the different family fractions together for some sort of a large gathering and dinner. She was a good cook, and in our family, it's been kind of a tradition for big gatherings on Thanksgiving. And so, you know, it's an empty seat, a big seat that's not filled. And now, an additional update to this story.

On August 18, 2024, more than three years after Dee went missing, human remains were found, sealed in an old fertilizer tank on Dale Warner's property in Tipton, Michigan. Three days later, the Michigan State Police released a statement saying, quote, the Jackson County Medical Examiner has positively identified the remains as Dee Warner. Her death has been ruled a homicide. The manner of death has been confirmed, however, will be withheld pending further investigation. D. Warner's body was released to the family and laid to rest a week after the discovery. Dale Warner remains in custody at Lenawee County Jail, where he's being held on a $15 million bond. He has pleaded not guilty.

The Michigan State Police are continuing to follow leads and ask that anyone with information contact the MSP Monroe Post at 734-242-3500.