Prosecutor: Dale Warner charged in Dee Warner murder case

ADRIAN — Dale Warner, husband of missing Dee Ann Warner, has been charged with her murder.

Michigan State Police announced a suspect was arrested Tuesday. Lenawee County Prosecutor Jackie Wyse said in a text message she issued the warrant for Dale Warner's arrest Tuesday afternoon. He is charged with open murder and tampering with evidence.

The state police's post on X, formerly known as Twitter, said a news release with additional information will be issued upon the suspect's arraignment, which is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 22, in Lenawee County District Court.

The open murder charge allows a jury to decide the degree of murder, should the case go to trial.

Dee Warner has been missing since April 2021, and suspicion has centered around Dale Warner. Dee Warner's family has said on the night she went missing she was going to tell Dale that she was going to divorce him. When family members went to meet her for breakfast the next morning, she was not home.

Dale Warner has denied through his former attorney having anything to do with Dee's disappearance.

The Daily Telegram left a message for Dale Warner's current attorney seeking comment.

"It's almost impossible to feel like it's real," Dee Warner's brother, Gregg Hardy, said Tuesday. "It seems surreal, so to speak, and the fact that 2 1/2 years of work … it's been very much an uphill battle."

The unreal feeling about Dale Warner being arrested is because of the ups and downs the case has taken, Hardy said.

"Every time we've had something that seemed positive, we've been set back by something negative," he said.

Hardy also expressed gratitude for the support his family has received from near and far and for the work that has gone into the investigation.

People from the immediate community and from around the world have supported the "Justice for Dee" cause, he said.

"We're so grateful to them," he said.

He acknowledged that he has been very demanding of investigators.

"I'm man enough to be appreciative of the facts that we have now in front of us, and that is brought out, obviously, by the arrest," he said. "My gratefulness to all those people who have worked so hard to get there."

However, he said there is still work to be done.

"Being charged, being arraigned is only part of the process," he said.

Subscribe Now: For all the latest local developments, breaking news, and high school and college sports content.

A rally for Dee Warner is planned for 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26, at the old Lenawee County Courthouse in downtown Adrian. Hardy said it had been intended to bring attention to the case and how there hadn't been an arrest nor a declaration of death. Now that Dale Warner has been arrested, Hardy said the family will decide on what they want to do with the rally. He said they should know what they're going to do by Wednesday, Nov. 22, and those plans will be shared with the community.

Dale Warner was ordered in September by Lenawee County Probate Judge Catherine A. Sala to serve 93 days in jail for criminal contempt of court. She found that he had continued to obstruct and resist the court’s orders pertaining to his responsibilities in working with the conservators appointed to look out for the best interests of Dee Warner’s assets. That was after he spent a week in jail on civil contempt of court charges.

The contempt charges came during proceedings to determine if Dee Warner would be declared deceased. That ruling has not been made.

— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Prosecutor: Dale Warner charged in Dee Warner murder case