Where is Dale Warner now? Present whereabouts of Dee Ann Warner’s husband explored

Dale Warner, husband of missing Lenawee County woman Dee Ann Warner, has finally been charged with murder. 52-year-old Dee Warner was last seen in April 2021 at her home on Munger Road in Tipton, police said. She disappeared from her home, her cell phone was dead, and all activity on her bank accounts had ceased.

On May 6, 2021, Crime Stoppers publicly asked for help in the search for Dee. After spending 20 months investigating her disappearance in Lenawee County, the police have finally arrested her husband Dale Warner, who has been charged with open-degree murder and tampering of evidence.

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Why did Dale Warner get arrested?

Michigan State Police declared on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, that Dee Warner’s husband had been arrested in connection with her death. Detectives from the Michigan State Police First District Special Investigations Section arrested Dale John Warner, 53, of Tipton, who was taken into custody at his home.

The arrest was made after one year and eight months and hundreds of hours of investigation by state police and Lenawee County prosecutors. Dale Warner has been charged with open murder and tampering with evidence.

He was brought to 2A District Court in Lenawee County on November 22, 2023, and is being held on $20 million bond. A hearing on bond is scheduled for November 27.

Capt. Steve O’Neill, commander of the First District headquarters, who has been closely working on the case, commented to the media:

“I am extremely proud of the tireless work our detectives have put in to solve this case. 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.”

Dale has been charged with open murder, which allows a jury to decide the degree of murder, should the case go to trial.

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When did Dee Ann Warner disappear?

Dee Ann Warner was last seen at the couple's home in Franklin Township on April 25, 2021. She was found missing the next day by some family members who had gone to meet her for breakfast and found that she was not home. They reported her missing. The authorities started an investigation but there was no sign of her body anymore. According to the affidavit of probable cause from the state police in the case’s district court file:

"After the murder, Dale Warner altered, disposed of and destroyed the evidence”

Detective 1st Lt. Michael Dillon, commander of the state police’s First District Special Investigative Section, said in a news release regarding the case:

“Working a no body homicide brings on unique challenges. The detectives on this case have done a phenomenal job with the investigation, and working collaboratively with the Lenawee County Prosecutor. I have the utmost confidence in this case moving forward.”

Dee Ann Warner's family has said on the night she went missing she was supposed to announce to Dale that she wanted a divorce. Her family and friends suspected that her husband was behind her disappearance as the couple had some domestic abuse issues too.

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Is Dee Ann Warner legally declared dead?

After more than two and a half years of her disappearance, police have still not been able to locate the body of Dee. Her family has been seeking a declaration of death, but her husband has constantly blocked it. In May 2023, Dale Warner finally withdrew his objection and she was declared legally dead.

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The Michigan State Police Monroe Post encourages callers who have information about the disappearance of Dee Ann Warner to contact them at 734-242-3500.