Missing mom Dee Warner’s family’s chilling theory about her death as cops find her body but refuse to say how she died

THE human remains discovered in a large steel tank on a Michigan property have been identified as a woman who disappeared over three years ago in April 2021.

On August 16, law enforcement officials uncovered the remains of Dee Warner , a missing mother of five, after an extensive search on her husband Dale Warner’s property in Tipton, over an hour southwest of Detroit .

Lenawee County Sheriff's Office

WDIV

Click On Detroit 4

WDIV

Investigators combed through Dale’s property in search of clues to assist them in Warner ‘s disappearance.

Photos from the search showed rows of large tanks that are made to store anhydrous ammonia in a secluded barn separate from the main portion of the property, according to NBC affiliate WDIV-TV .

Michigan State Police declared Warner’s death a homicide but did not disclose how she died.

Dale was arrested last November and charged with murder and evidence tampering in connection with his wife’s disappearance.

He has pleaded not guilty and is set to go on trial in September.

Warner’s family shared a bone-chilling theory of how they believe the 52-year-old mother ended up in the anhydrous tank.

“In the dark of night, in a building that had no cameras, slide her body in there, put the end cap back on it, and weld it completely shut,” Gregg Hardy, Warner’s brother, told WDIV-TV.

“And then attach that to a chassis, paint it, even have the gull to put his logo on it to make it look like it was normal.

“And then took it and stored it with other thanks so it would look like it was just another one of the fleet.”

Hardy said his theory and how his sister was found makes him believe her murder was premeditated.

He claims that to place his sister’s body in the tank, Dale cut open the steel cylinder in the middle of the night.

“That’s so premeditated and so heinous that he deserves nothing less than murder one, no parole,” Hardy added.

“He lied to his family and put them through all kinds of pain.

“He hid the evidence, he went through a lot of trouble to hide the evidence, he lied to the officials, investigators, repeatedly.”

A spokesperson for the family remembered Warner as a confident, generous, and fearless mother.

“It’s hard to explain because you have the relief of knowing that we’re finally going to be able to lay her to rest,” the family spokesperson told ABC affiliate WTVG .

“But then, there’s that grief that comes back that we’ve had to relieve over and over every time we make progression with the case – when she was declared deceased, and then again when Dale was arrested for murder- it’s just a wound that we keep having to reopen.”

Warner was officially declared dead in early 2024.

Dale is being held on $15 million bond.

His attorney has argued that the husband denies killing his wife.

Investigation into Dee Warner's Disappearance

Dee Warner, 52, went missing in April 2021. On August 16, 2024, investigators uncovered Warner's remains inside a large steel tank that is used store anhydrous ammonia

• April 25, 2021: Dee Warner was reported missing.
• June 2021: An investigation into her disappearance was halted but then resumed several months later.
• October 2021: Warner’s property was searched for remains.
• August 2022: Michigan State Police took over the investigation.
• May 2023: Police announce an expanded search effort for Warner in Lenawee County.
• November 2023: Warner’s husband, Dale Warner, is arrested and charged with murder.
• August 16, 2024: Officials announced that human remains were discovered on Dale’s property in a welded tank.
• August 20, 2024: An autopsy confirmed Dee Warner’s remains were found in the steel tank.
• September 4, 2024: Dale is set to appear in court for his pre-trial

WDIV

WTOL TV - KCBS TV