Human remains were found in a chemical tank on a property belonging to Dale Warner — the husband of Dee Warner, a Michigan woman who went missing in 2021.
Michigan State Police said the remains were found while executing a search warrant in Lenawee County on Friday.
“The remains are currently in the process of being recovered and there will be a great deal of work and testing completed before positive identification is made,” the state police said in a statement released Sunday night. An autopsy is scheduled for Aug. 20.
A family spokesperson told WTVG the remains were found on a farm property in a secluded barn in a sealed tank used to hold anhydrous ammonia, an industrial chemical used in fertilizer. The tank had a tag with “do not use” written on it.
Gregg Hardy, Dee Warner’s brother, told the station the family was shown an X-ray that showed a body inside the tank.
The state police did not disclose why this part of the property had not been searched previously.
Dee Warner, a 52-year-old mother of five, disappeared from her home in Tecumseh, about 60 miles southwest from Detroit, on April 25, 2021. Dale Warner, 56, was charged with open murder and tampering with evidence in the presumed death in November 2023.
Warner pleaded not guilty, but a judge said there was enough evidence to proceed to a trial in June. He is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 4 for a pretrial hearing. He is being held on $15 million bond.
Witnesses reported the two had argued the day she went missing and Dee Warner was planning to ask for a divorce. The two had been married for 15 years.
