20/20 Tonight

Who Was Dee Warner & What Happened to Her? 2026 Update & Profile

by · October 22, 2026

Dee Ann Warner was a successful Michigan businesswoman, a mother of five and a member of a farming family whose roots stretched back generations. At 52, she managed trucking and agricultural businesses, raised her children and maintained a demanding schedule. But on April 25, 2021, she disappeared from the rural property she shared with her husband, Dale Warner, leaving her family searching for answers.

For more than three years, Dee’s disappearance remained a mystery. Her vehicles were left at home, her financial accounts showed no activity and investigators found no evidence that she had begun a new life elsewhere. Her husband maintained that she had left following an argument, but her brother, Gregg Hardy, and other relatives believed she had been killed.

The family’s suspicions were confirmed in August 2024, when Michigan State Police discovered Dee’s remains inside a welded agricultural fertilizer tank on the couple’s property. Her husband was convicted of second-degree murder and evidence tampering in March 2026 and sentenced to consecutive prison terms with a combined maximum of 70 years.

The case became the subject of national attention, including ABC’s 20/20 episode “Help Dale Find Dee,” airing October 23, 2026. Behind the criminal investigation was the story of a woman whose business ambitions, family relationships and plans for her future became central to understanding her death.

Who Was Dee Ann Warner?

Dee Ann Warner was born Dee Ann Hardy on July 29, 1968, and grew up in a Michigan family with a long history in agriculture. Her relatives raised dairy cattle and cultivated crops, and farming remained an important part of her personal and professional life.

Her brother, Gregg Hardy, described Dee as ambitious and determined to build a successful career. She entered the agricultural industry and developed experience in sales, business management and operations involving farming supplies and equipment.

Dee had four children during her first marriage. She met Dale Warner while working in sales for an agricultural supply and fertilizer business in Blissfield, Michigan. Although their families had a history of rivalry within the farming industry, the pair developed a romantic relationship.

Both left their previous marriages and married in 2006. They had a daughter, Angalena, and formed a blended family that included four children from each of their earlier marriages.

Dee established and managed a trucking company while helping oversee the couple’s farming and fertilizer businesses. Her trucking operation became a successful enterprise, although other parts of the family businesses faced financial difficulties.

The Warners lived on a farm covering approximately 1,500 acres near Tipton in Lenawee County. Their property included agricultural equipment, barns and facilities associated with their businesses. It was the place where Dee raised her family, worked and was last seen alive.

Dee Warner’s Marriage to Dale Warner

Dee and Dale Warner shared an interest in agriculture and business, but their relationship deteriorated over time. Relatives and employees described disagreements involving finances, the management of their companies and the couple’s personal lives.

Dee’s daughter Rikkell Bock described the marriage as toxic. Family members alleged that Dale had engaged in controlling behaviour, including monitoring Dee’s movements and placing a tracking device on her vehicle. Those allegations became part of the wider account of the relationship presented during the investigation and trial.

The couple also had different personalities and social interests. Gregg Hardy described his sister as outgoing, while Dale preferred spending time at home and working on the family’s businesses.

As the marriage deteriorated, Dee began expressing her dissatisfaction through messages to her husband. Texts introduced during Dale’s trial included statements that she wanted to move out and end the relationship.

In one message, Dee wrote, “I’m ready to move out and be done with this.” Other messages described a marriage in which the couple had become roommates rather than partners.

Prosecutors argued that Dee intended to leave Dale and sell their shared businesses. They maintained that those plans created a conflict that culminated in her murder.

Dee Warner’s Final Weekend in April 2021

The final weekend of Dee Warner’s life was marked by tension within the household. According to the prosecution’s account, Dee and Dale argued about their relationship and business interests on April 24, 2021.

Prosecutors said Dee had expressed her intention to end the marriage and sell the businesses. The confrontation occurred against a background of financial disputes and disagreements that witnesses described during the subsequent trial.

Dale later told investigators that he and Dee had argued and that he last saw her sleeping on a couch. He maintained that she had left the property and suggested that she might have gone away following their disagreement.

On Sunday, April 25, Dee’s daughter Rikkell Bock arrived at the farm for their regular breakfast together. Her mother was missing, and the absence raised concerns because Dee had not contacted her children or explained where she was going.

Dee’s vehicles remained parked at the property. Although her phone and some personal belongings were missing, relatives could not establish where she had gone.

The family reported Dee missing, beginning an investigation that would continue for more than three years before her body was recovered.

Why Dee Warner’s Family Believed She Had Been Murdered

Dee’s disappearance was inconsistent with the routines and responsibilities described by her relatives. She had children, businesses and financial commitments, yet there was no confirmed activity indicating that she had travelled away or established a new residence.

Investigators found no subsequent activity on her bank accounts or social media. Her phone stopped providing signs of normal use, and surveillance evidence did not establish that she had departed the property.

Gregg Hardy questioned Dale’s explanation that Dee had left following an argument. He believed his sister would not have abandoned her family without making contact, particularly given her close relationships with her children.

Hardy organised a search involving approximately 40 people on the Warner property. The effort failed to locate Dee, but her brother continued examining the circumstances of her disappearance.

The family also sought assistance from investigative attorney Billy Little Jr., who reviewed evidence and pursued information from people connected to the case.

As the months passed, Hardy became one of the most prominent voices demanding further investigation. He helped maintain public attention through interviews, appeals and a campaign that included a $50,000 reward for information about Dee’s whereabouts.

The Billboard That Challenged Dale Warner

During the search, Gregg Hardy arranged for a roadside billboard carrying the message “Help Dale Find Dee.” At first glance, the words appeared to encourage the public to assist Dee’s husband in finding his missing wife.

The wording was intended as a challenge to Dale. Hardy suspected that his brother-in-law knew what had happened to Dee and wanted to place public pressure on him.

The billboard reflected the family’s frustration with the lack of answers. Dale maintained that he had not harmed his wife, while Hardy believed that Dee was dead and that evidence of her disappearance remained connected to the farm.

The message became associated with the case as media coverage expanded beyond Michigan. It also became the title of the October 2026 20/20 investigation into Dee’s disappearance and murder.

How the Search for Dee Warner Developed

The Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office handled the initial missing-person investigation. Investigators examined Dee’s last known movements, interviewed people connected to the family and searched for evidence explaining her disappearance.

In August 2022, Michigan State Police announced that it was taking over the case at the request of local authorities. The state investigation examined witness statements, communications, electronic records and activity involving the Warner property.

The investigation faced a major challenge because Dee’s body had not been found. Authorities had to establish whether she was dead and whether the available evidence could support a criminal prosecution.

Her family continued pursuing answers through the courts and public appeals. Legal proceedings concerning Dee’s status and estate became part of the aftermath of her disappearance.

In November 2023, investigators reached a turning point. Dale Warner was arrested and charged with murder and tampering with evidence, despite the absence of Dee’s remains.

He pleaded not guilty, and the criminal case proceeded while investigators continued searching for her body.

Dee Warner’s Remains Found on the Family Farm

On August 16, 2024, Michigan State Police investigators executing a search warrant discovered human remains inside an agricultural fertilizer tank on the Warner property.

The tank had been used to store anhydrous ammonia, a chemical used in agricultural fertilizer operations. It had been sealed with welding, concealing the contents from view.

Investigators used imaging equipment to examine the container and found a body inside. The remains were wrapped in a tarp, and prosecutors said the victim was wearing pyjamas, with duct tape around her face and neck.

On August 21, authorities confirmed that the remains belonged to Dee Warner. Dental records were used to establish her identity, ending the search that had begun more than three years earlier.

The location of the remains supported a theory Gregg Hardy had raised during the investigation. He recalled seeing Dale painting a rusty fertilizer tank after Dee disappeared and had suggested that a body could have been concealed inside it.

The discovery gave investigators physical evidence of Dee’s death and transformed a case built around circumstantial evidence into one involving forensic examination of her remains and the container used to conceal them.

How Was Dee Warner Killed?

An autopsy determined that Dee Warner died from strangulation and blunt-force trauma to her head and face. The findings established that her death was a homicide.

The medical evidence became a central part of the prosecution’s case against Dale Warner. It demonstrated that Dee had suffered fatal violence rather than leaving the property voluntarily.

Prosecutors argued that Dale killed Dee during the breakdown of their marriage, when she was preparing to leave him and sell the family businesses. They identified those disputes as the motive for the killing.

According to the prosecution’s reconstruction, Dale concealed Dee’s body in a safe before using farming machinery to move it to the fertilizer tank. Prosecutors alleged that the tank was welded shut to prevent discovery.

The physical condition of the tank, forensic examination of the remains and testimony about agricultural equipment were used to support that account.

The defence challenged the prosecution’s conclusions and disputed whether the evidence proved that Dale was responsible for the killing. The precise sequence of events inside the home was reconstructed from the evidence rather than established through an eyewitness account of the murder.

Dee Warner’s Family Finally Brings Her Home

The identification of Dee’s remains in August 2024 brought a painful conclusion to the search for her whereabouts. Her family had spent more than three years seeking information about what happened to her and where she had been concealed.

The discovery confirmed that Dee had not abandoned her children or businesses. She had been killed, and her body had remained on the property where she had lived and worked.

Dee’s family held her burial on August 30, 2024. The service gave relatives an opportunity to mourn her death after years in which they had been unable to recover her remains.

For Gregg Hardy, the discovery also validated the concerns he had raised during the investigation. His campaign for answers continued as the criminal case against Dale moved toward trial.

The Trial Reveals New Details About Dee’s Final Months

Dale Warner’s murder trial began on February 12, 2026, in Lenawee County Circuit Court. The proceedings examined Dee’s personal life, her marriage and the evidence collected during the investigation. Prosecutors argued that Dale killed her after she decided to leave the marriage and sell their businesses.

Witnesses described Dee’s concerns about her relationship in the months before her disappearance. Her massage therapist testified that she had noticed bruises on Dee on several occasions, including one resembling a handprint on her arm. She also recalled Dee crying during an appointment shortly before her disappearance and expressing a desire to consult a lawyer.

Dee’s assistant, Stephanie Voelkle, described disputes involving money and family members. Other witnesses discussed a GPS tracking device discovered in Dee’s vehicle, while an information technology consultant testified that Dale had requested assistance copying data from Dee’s phone without her permission.

The jury examined surveillance evidence, vehicle information, police interviews, forensic findings and testimony concerning the fertilizer tank. The defence maintained that the prosecution’s case relied on speculation and disputed the conclusions drawn from the evidence.

What Happened to Dale Warner?

On March 10, 2026, a Lenawee County jury convicted Dale Warner of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. The verdict followed several weeks of testimony about the couple’s marriage, Dee’s disappearance and the discovery of her remains.

On May 7, the court sentenced Dale to 31 years and three months to 60 years for murder, with an additional consecutive sentence of 17 months to 10 years for tampering with evidence. The sentences carry a combined maximum of 70 years.

Dale maintained his innocence during the proceedings. The jury’s verdict established his criminal responsibility for Dee’s death, although it did not result in a first-degree murder conviction.

In July 2026, Dale was transferred to Alger Correctional Facility in Munising, Michigan. His parole eligibility is approximately 33 years after the start of his custodial sentence, meaning he could remain imprisoned for the rest of his life.

How Dee Warner Is Remembered

Dee Warner’s murder brought national attention to a family that had spent years seeking answers. Her brother Gregg Hardy became a central figure in the effort to establish what happened, while her children contributed testimony and continued campaigning for justice.

Dee was remembered as a mother and businesswoman whose life centred on her family and agricultural enterprises. Her career reflected years of work in an industry connected to her family’s history, while her relationships with her children remained an important part of the search following her disappearance.

Her case also raised questions about the handling of missing-person investigations and the difficulties of pursuing a murder prosecution before a victim’s remains have been recovered. The discovery of Dee’s body demonstrated the importance of revisiting evidence and examining locations connected to a missing person’s last known movements.

Five years after Dee vanished, her husband’s conviction brought an end to the central criminal proceedings. For her family, the outcome provided accountability for her murder, but it could not restore the years lost during the search or the life Dee had planned beyond her troubled marriage.

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Ryan Gill

Ryan is a passionate follower of true crime television programs, reporting on and providing in-depth investigations on mysteries in the criminal world.

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