A body believed to be that of a mother of four who had been missing since 2021 was found and identified in a fertilizer tank during a search of her husband’s farm.
Dee Ann Warner, who disappeared from her own home in Michigan in the early hours of April 25, 2021, was declared legally dead in March, nearly three years after she was last seen.
Five months earlier, state police announced that Warner’s husband, Dale Warner, 56, was arrested in connection with the case, charged with open murder while she was still missing. He was last in court in June for an arraignment and is expected back for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 4.
Meanwhile, Dee’s remains were found during a search warrant at a farm belonging to Dale Friday, three miles from where she disappeared.
A family spokesman added that the family was notified Saturday night that the body was found in an anhydrous tank, similar to a propane tank, and that whoever put the body inside re-welded it and covered it with paint. The remains are now being recovered, police said.
Dee Ann Warner, who disappeared from her own home in Michigan in the early hours of April 25, was declared legally dead in March, nearly three years after she was last seen.
In November, state police announced that Warner’s husband, Dale Warner, 56, was arrested in connection with the case, charged with open murder while she was still missing. He is seen here in court shortly after his arrest.
“The remains are currently in the process of being recovered,” Michigan State Police said in a news release Sunday.
“A significant amount of work and testing will need to be done before a positive identification can be achieved,” he continued.
‘Dee Warner’s family has been contacted and informed of the findings.
‘This remains an ongoing investigation.’
The family also said the body was found in a remote area of the Paragon Road property and an autopsy has been scheduled.
It will be administered on Tuesday in hopes of determining the cause of death as police seek to bring to an end the case that lasted nearly three and a half years.
In 2022, before Dale was named a suspect, the family petitioned the courts to have Dee declared dead, in part to control the woman’s assets and also in hopes of filing a wrongful death lawsuit against him since he was the person she was supposed to meet before suddenly disappearing.
Dale, who owned several farms near the family home in Franklin Township, maintained his innocence throughout.
Pictured is the home in Franklin Township, Michigan, where Dee went missing in April 2021, three miles from where her body was recovered.
The remains were found in this anhydrous tank, relatives of the woman said, adding that whoever placed the body inside welded it back together and painted it.
The fertilizer tank bore the name War-Ag Farms, an agricultural company registered to Dale. His farm, where the body was found, is seen here
The tank was seen being towed from the property on Sunday after Michigan State Police officers conducted a search.
Police were at two of his Lenawee County properties on Friday before making the discovery.
The fertilizer tanker bearing the name War-Ag Farms was seen being towed from one of the properties on Sunday, while relatives confirmed to WTOL11 that remains were inside.
War-Ag Farms is a company registered to Dale, according to records. In 2019, several immigrants sued the company for allegedly defrauding some of them and creating “unsafe working conditions.”
The company was founded by Dale in 2005.
A family member, meanwhile, told WTOL11 on Sunday: “I would like to see this come to a resolution as soon as possible.”
Warner was last seen at the family home on Munger Road, after which she had no contact with relatives by phone or social media, prompting a search.
In June, during her husband’s arraignment, prosecutors revealed text messages the woman sent before she disappeared, including one she sent to a friend in which she described how Dale pushed her into a dresser.
Dee had four children and was declared legally dead earlier this year. An autopsy is due to take place on Tuesday.
She continued to express her fear that Dale would kill her, prompting the defense to respond that there was no physical evidence that Dee was murdered.
They also said there was nothing physical to link him to the crime, something that will no longer be the case if the remains are found to be Dee’s.
She continued to express her fear that Dale would kill her, prompting the defense to respond that there was no physical evidence that Dee was murdered.
They also said there was nothing to physically link him to the crime, something that will no longer be the case if the remains are found to be those of Dee, who was 52 when she disappeared.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Michigan State Police for further information.
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