(NewsNation) — Investigators confirmed the human remains found in the search for a missing Michigan woman belonged to Dee Warner, who disappeared over three years ago.
Michigan State Police crews discovered the remains on Aug. 16, during a search of a property that belongs to Dale John Warner, Dee Warmer’s husband. Officials found her remains inside a tank meant for anhydrous ammonia, used in crop fertilizer.
“This conclusion of the medical examiner unequivocally saying he had a perfect match with the dental records, and so there was absolutely no doubt in his mind in signing a death certificate, with the identification of it being my sister, was such a reassuring event,” said Gregg Hardy, Dee’s brother.
Warner’s family reported her missing in April 2021. Her husband was charged in November with open murder — a combination of First and Second Degree murder — and tampering with evidence in her disappearance. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial is scheduled to begin next month.
Up until this point, the lack of a body was a point of contention in the case. In prior court appearances, Dale Warner’s defense lawyer said the prosecution had mostly circumstantial evidence, as no body or murder weapon was ever recovered.
A spokesperson for Dee’s family told 13 Action News earlier this week MSP’s findings brought both relief and sorrow.
“It’s hard to explain because you have the relief of knowing that we’re finally going to be able to lay her to rest,” family spokesperson Kathryn Adams said Sunday. “But then there’s that grief that comes back that we’ve had to relive over and over every time we make progression with the case — when she was declared deceased, and then again when Dale was arrested for murder — it’s just a wound that we keep having to reopen.”