They Fought About Money Before She Vanished — and Was Found Sealed in a Fertilizer Tank Years Later

Opening statements in the trial of a Michigan farmer accused of killing his wife and hiding her body inside a fertilizer tank began Thursday, Feb. 12.

Dale Warner faces charges of murder and tampering with evidence in the death of his wife, Dee Warner, 52. Dee disappeared from the couple’s farm in Tipton in April 2021. Her remains were found in August 2024 inside a fertilizer tank on property owned by the family.

Investigators determined Dee died from strangulation and blunt-force injuries to her head and face. Prosecutors said her body was discovered wrapped in a tarp and dressed in pajamas, with duct tape around her face and neck, according to WTOL.

In court, prosecutors described the couple’s marriage as strained and secretive. They said Dee told Dale the night before her death that she intended to sell their businesses and leave him.

Prosecutors also showed jurors a series of messages Dee allegedly sent to Dale before she vanished. In one, she wrote that she was ready to move out and felt he treated her as though she was “not worthy of anything.” Another message said they didn’t talk and were “just roommates,” adding that their relationship had “gotten so much worse.”

The case began on April 25, 2021, when Dee’s daughter from her first marriage, Rikkell Bock, came to the home for their usual Sunday breakfast and could not find her mother. Dee’s vehicles were still at the property, but family members noticed several personal items were missing, including an overnight bag, a curling iron, a makeup bag, her phone and her purse.

According to prosecutors, Dale told relatives he had last seen Dee asleep on a couch early that morning and that the couple had argued the night before. Family members later said he suggested Dee had run off, pointing to her wedding ring left on a desk in the farm office, but believed she would return.

Dee was reported missing later that day. Authorities later located her remains in August 2024 after relatives recalled seeing Dale in a barn with a fertilizer tank shortly after she disappeared.

During opening statements, Dale’s attorneys argued that he was not the only person on the property when Dee went missing. Defense attorney Marisa Vinsky told jurors the prosecution would not be able to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, adding that the law does not allow speculation to take the place of evidence, according to WTOL.