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The “No Body” Case of Dee Warner | Full Episode
The full 48 Hours episode, 42 min: the case told start to finish in one sitting.
Watch on YouTubeWhat happened
Dee Ann Warner, also known as Dee Warner, disappeared from Franklin Township, Michigan, on the night of April 24, 2021. Her disappearance was treated as a suspected murder from the outset. After that night, her phone, bank account, and social media showed no further activity, and she was never captured on camera leaving the property.
According to testimony from her daughter, Rikkell Bock, Dee Warner was in what she described as an "extremely toxic" relationship with her husband, Dale Warner, who she said stalked her, placed a tracking device on her car, and committed domestic violence against her. Dee Warner's brother, Gregg Hardy, said he had seen signs that his sister was being abused but did not recognize them as such at the time.
The Lenawee County Sheriff's Office initially investigated the disappearance. At its request, the Michigan State Police announced on August 9, 2023, that it was taking over the investigation.
On November 21, 2023, the Michigan State Police announced that it had made an arrest in connection with Warner's murder. The following day, November 22, 2023, Dale John Warner, Dee Ann Warner's husband, was charged with her murder and with tampering with evidence.
Warner's body was discovered by police on August 17, 2024, while officers were executing a search warrant on Dale Warner's property on Paragon Road. The body was found inside a resealed anhydrous tank similar to a residential propane storage tank.
On March 10, 2026, Dale Warner was found guilty of second-degree murder. He was sentenced on May 7, 2026, to 70 years in prison.
The case drew local media attention in Lenawee County and the surrounding area before drawing interest from true-crime outlets. It was featured on an episode of NBC's Dateline: Missing in America podcast, on an October 2022 episode of Investigation Discovery's Disappeared titled "Vanished in the Heartland," and on a January 2026 episode of Investigation Discovery's People Magazine Investigates carrying the same title. Retired homicide detective Chris McDonough also discussed the case on his podcast, The Interview Room, in an interview with Billy Little Jr., the family's investigative attorney.
