ADRIAN, Mich. (Court TV/Scripps News Detroit) — A judge ruled that Dale Warner will stand trial for the murder of his wife Dee more than three years after she disappeared.
Dee Warner was last seen in April of 2021 near her home about an hour southwest of Detroit, near Tecumseh, Mich. Her body has never been found, and her family believes she was a victim of domestic abuse.
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Dale Warner, who’s been locked up since November, has pleaded not guilty on charges of open murder and tampering with evidence.
(Court TV via Scripps News Detroit)
In the continuation of Dale Warner’s preliminary hearing on June 7, his defense attorneys suggested Dee Warner may not have been murdered at all, pointing out that her body has never been found.
But the judge ruled there was enough evidence to put Dale Warner on trial for her murder. That evidence includes extensive searches of the area, including Dee Warner’s phone, bank, prescription records, and more.
A Michigan State Police Detective testified at Warner’s preliminary hearing about alarming text messages recovered, including Dee Warner threatening to move out and saying she thought Dale was going to kill her if she tried to leave him.
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“It is also very clear that the last time anyone has heard from Dee Warner was on April 24th, 2021,” Judge Anna Frushour said, adding that authorities are continuing to investigate and search databases that could reveal information in the case.
Dee Warner’s family, including her brother Gregg Hardy, believes her husband is responsible for Dee’s disappearance and death.
“He told us a story that just didn’t square with me,” Hardy said. “And I met him in his own driveway and said, ‘Dale, I know what you’ve done and I’m going to come after you.’ And that’s the last time I spoke to him.”
Dale Warner is due back in court on June 20 at 8:15 a.m. He is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
