On a seemingly ordinary Sunday morning in Lenawee County, Michigan, the disappearance of Dee Warner shattered the tranquility of spring. It was April 25, 2021, and as the sun rose over the farmland where Dee lived with her second husband, Dale Warner, a routine breakfast with her daughter turned into a desperate search for answers.
- Dee Warner disappeared in April 2021.
- Rikkell Bock noticed Dee Warner missing.
- Dale Warner's unusual behavior raised suspicions.
- Community organized searches for Dee Warner.
- Billboard created to apply pressure on Dale.
- Dale Warner charged with murder in 2023.
Rikkell Bock arrived at her mother’s home, expecting the familiar warmth of their weekly gathering. Instead, she found a ghostly silence. Dee’s two cars were parked on the property, but she was nowhere to be found. Rikkell, alarmed by her mother’s unusual absence—Dee was known for being glued to her phone—attempted to reach her through calls and texts, all of which went unanswered.
Friends and family describe Dee, 52, as a hard-working and generous woman, deeply engaged in various businesses on her rural property. From running a trucking company with about 15 employees to managing a farm and a chemical business selling fertilizer and seed, Dee was not one to vanish without a trace. Rikkell recalled her mother’s emotional turmoil leading up to her disappearance, specifically a fight Dee had with two employees just the day before. “If my mom could glue her phone to her hand, she would,” Rikkell stated, expressing her disbelief that Dee could simply leave without warning.
Upon being notified, the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office dispatched a deputy who met Dale Warner at their home. He relayed information about Dee’s fight and mentioned her upset demeanor but was not overly concerned about her absence. Dale noted that several personal items, including Dee’s makeup bag and hair tools, were missing, leading him to think she might have left to cool off.
However, Dee’s brother, Gregg Hardy, felt a rising tide of worry. He feared for her safety, particularly given her distress. Within days, he organized a foot search with around 50 volunteers across the sprawling farmlands around her property, desperately searching for any sign of his sister. Unfortunately, the search yielded no clues.
As the investigation unfolded, Dale’s behavior began to raise eyebrows. Gregg remembered the day of the foot search when Dale showed up on a four-wheeler, exhibiting a disinterest that troubled him. “I was getting these, call it a gut feeling if you like, but I was very suspicious of his mannerisms,” Gregg confided. His suspicion deepened when he confronted Dale about the investigation six weeks later and accused him of not telling the truth regarding Dee’s disappearance.
Authorities executed multiple searches and interviews, yet there was still no sign of Dee, dead or alive. Dale cooperated, granting police access to search his property repeatedly. However, he would later insist, through his attorney, that he had never harmed Dee.
The sense of urgency grew as the family wished to draw public attention to the case, leading Gregg to organize a vigil in the fall of 2021. Here, he publicly expressed his frustrations about the investigation, suspecting that Dale was orchestrating a false narrative about Dee leaving on her own. The former county prosecutor stressed the importance of finding physical evidence and the risks of making a hasty arrest without it.
Three months after the vigil, while watching a television episode about another missing person’s case, Shelley Hardy—Dee’s sister-in-law—was inspired by attorney Billy Little’s assertion, “You don’t get to get away with murder because you’re good at disposing of bodies.” This pivotal moment sparked a determination in the Hardy family to reach out to Little for help.
Billy Little arrived in Lenawee County, diving into the investigation and proposing strategies to apply public pressure on Dale Warner. Part of this involved erecting a billboard with the sarcastic wording, “Help Dale Find Dee,” aimed directly at the trucking company drivers who frequented the area. It was a statement meant to imply that Dale was not doing enough to aid in the search for his wife—a tactical move to shine a spotlight on his actions.
The culmination of relentless public pressure and investigative work led to a breakthrough. In August 2022, Michigan State Police took over the case amid increased scrutiny and support from the FBI. In November 2023, they arrested Dale Warner, charging him with the murder of Dee Warner, despite the absence of her body. He pleaded not guilty.
As of June 2024, Dale was bound over for trial, which is set to begin on September 2, 2025. Although police have not yet uncovered Dee’s remains, they have indicated that a significant piece of evidence may have emerged shortly after Dale’s pretrial hearings. The family remains resolute, holding out hope for justice and grappling with the uncertainty of Dee’s fate.
As the investigation continues, the community of Lenawee County stands united, awaiting developments in a case that has drawn serious attention and stirred emotions about the importance of family, justice, and the unyielding search for the truth.
