Michigan State Police said they found human remains during a search on property belonging to Dale Warner, the husband of Dee Warner who has been missing since 2021.
According to MSP, they conducted the search warrant on a property in Lenawee County and discovered the remains. Dee Warner's brother tells 7 News Detroit the remains were found in a sealed tank that is used to hold anhydrous ammonia. There was no ammonia in the tank and the tank was closed on both ends.
As of Tuesday, August 20, Michigan State Police say an autopsy has been conducted. However, additional testing is needed to positively identify the remains. MSP also says the cause or manner of death has not yet been confirmed.
PHOTO: Scene where human remains were found (courtesy of Warner family, via WTVG)
Dee was last seen on April 25, 2021, at her home in Tecumseh. In November 2023, Dale was arrested and charged for her disappearance and murder.
WATCH: Arrest made in Dee Warner murder
“I am extremely proud of the tireless work our detectives have put in to solve this case,” said Captain Steve O’Neill, Commander First District Headquarters. “With incredible determination, they have pieced together a very difficult case culminating with an arrest. This arrest is another step in our investigation, and we will continue our efforts to bring closure to the family and to find Dee Warner’s remains so that her family can lay her to rest.”
“It was exhilarating in the fact that finally we had something... and then it was reliving that we finally accomplished something after 3 1/2 years of a really steep uphill climb," said Gregg Hardy, Dee Warner's brother.
WATCH: 2022 report: What happened to Dee Warner? Michigan mother of 5 has been missing for more than a year
In 2022, our Heather Catallo spoke with many of Dee's relatives, and in March, a Lenawee County court ruled Dee legally dead.
WATCH BELOW: Dale Warner to stand trial for murder, accused of murdering his wife in 2021
More from our 2022 report below.
“I don’t know how you prepare for the outcome,” said Rikkell Bock, Dee's daughter.
Bock says she needs to know what happened to her mom, even if the news is bad.
“At this point, we’ve gone a year not knowing. Not knowing is so much worse than knowing,” said Bock.
Former military investigator and attorney, Billy Little, had been helping the family.
Little says several witnesses say Dee and Dale had argued about one of their businesses the day before – and they say she was planning to ask her husband for a divorce that night. Little says she even sent their then-9-year-old daughter to stay with a friend for the evening. Little says phone records show that friend sent Dee a text at 10:24 pm to ask how she was doing. 29 minutes later the friend received a text that simply said “K.”
“She was very talkative, very expressive, she texted a lot. Never once, not one single time was her response the letter ‘K.’ So after the friend says ‘how are you doing,’ no response – half an hour later, the letter K, and the phone gets turned off,” said Little. Little says he believes Dee wasn’t the one that sent the response ‘K.’
