Dee Warner disappeared from her Lenawee County, Michigan, farm on the morning of April 25, 2021. She was 52 and lived on the family property with her second husband, Dale Warner, and their 9-year-old child. The Warners operated three businesses from the farm — a trucking company with about 15 employees, a farm, and a chemical business that sold fertilizer and seed. Dee also had four adult children from a prior marriage.
Her daughter, Rikkell Bock, who lived roughly half a mile away and could see Dee’s house from her yard, grew concerned when she arrived for their weekly Sunday breakfast and found Dee gone. Both of Dee’s cars were at the farm and she was not answering calls or texts, behavior Bock described as unlike her mother. Family members said they had seen Dee the day before; she told them she’d had an argument that Saturday with two trucking employees and appeared upset. The family reported her missing the following day.
A Lenawee County deputy visited the property after the missing-person report. Dale told the deputy about the Saturday fight and said he was not overly worried because several of Dee’s personal items — including a makeup bag, hair dryer and curling iron — were gone, and she had been known to leave when upset. Dee’s brother, Gregg Hardy, and his wife organized a foot search of the farmland with roughly 50 volunteers, but the search turned up no trace of Dee.
Gregg said he became suspicious of Dale during that early search, noting that Dale arrived on a four-wheeler and “didn’t really participate.” As weeks passed, Gregg said his concerns deepened. He later publicly accused Dale of lying about what happened to his sister.
Law enforcement repeatedly searched the farm and questioned Dale, who spoke with investigators voluntarily multiple times and allowed searches of his property. Early in the investigation authorities said they had found no evidence of violence and had not located Dee. The county prosecutor warned family members against making arrests without physical evidence, stressing how difficult it can be to prosecute a homicide without a body.
In the fall of 2021, Gregg organized a public vigil to keep attention on the case. After watching a 48 Hours episode about no-body cases that featured attorney and investigator Billy Little, Gregg and his wife reached out to Little for assistance. Little began working with the family — interviewing witnesses, canvassing properties, flying drones and helping shape a media strategy.
Part of that strategy included a billboard Gregg funded near a busy intersection close to the Warners’ businesses. The sign read “Help Dale Find Dee.” Gregg and Little say the message was meant sarcastically — to shame Dale publicly and pressure him because they believed he was not behaving like a worried husband. The billboard was targeted at the trucking company’s drivers and the local community.
Supporters in the area held rallies and vigils and urged state police to take over the investigation. Michigan State Police began assisting before formally assuming control of the case in August 2022; the FBI also provided help. In November 2023, state police arrested Dale Warner and charged him with murder. He pleaded not guilty.
Dale and his attorney declined interviews before trial; his lawyer told 48 Hours that Mr. Warner “maintains his innocence, and we are prepared to vigorously fight for him in court and present his defense.” At the time charges were filed, authorities said they had not located Dee. In August 2024, investigators reported discovering a major piece of physical evidence in the case.
Dale Warner was bound over for trial in June 2024, and his trial had been scheduled to begin Sept. 2, 2025. On March 10, 2026, a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in Dee Warner’s death.