ADRIAN, Mich. (Scripps News Detroit) — An arrest has been made in connection to the 2021 murder of Dee Warner who had been missing for two and a half years, Michigan State Police confirmed Tuesday.
The mother of five was last seen on April 25, 2021, at her home about an hour southwest of Detroit, near Tecumseh, Michigan.
A family photo of Dee Warner, a Michigan mother of five who went missing in 2021. On Tuesday, Nov. 22, MSP announced an arrest had been made in her murder investigation. (Scripps News Detroit)
MSP said the suspect’s name is being withheld until an arraignment, however, sources close to the investigation told Scripps News Detroit that he is being charged with open murder, which is a combination of First and Second Degree Murder that the jury may determine the appropriate degree based on the evidence presented at trial.
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Police had previously named Dee’s husband, Dale Warner, as a suspect in her disappearance. While state police are not naming the person they arrested Tuesday, attorneys who previously represented Dale Warner confirm he was taken into custody and say they’re surprised by the arrest.
The family of Dee Warner, 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.”
Lenawee County Sheriff Troy Bevier said that Dale Warner is being held at the county jail. However, they are not commenting on the charges or allegations against him. Dale Warner is expected to be arraigned Wednesday morning when more information is expected to be released.
Hardy and other family members have said they plan on being in attendance.
“I don’t think it’s all sunk in yet,” Hardy said.
Todd Flood, the Warner family attorney, is still working to declare Dee dead officially. He says that the process should now be expedited with this new update in the case.
“Knowing this case, there’s a lot of discovery, there’s a lot of work. These state troopers and officers — both local and federal — did a lot of work on this case, and there will be mountains of discovery,” Flood said.
This story was originally published Nov. 21, 2023, by Scripps News Detroit, an E.W. Scripps Company.
