LENAWEE COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A Lenawee County jury found Michigan farmer Dale Warner, 58, guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of his wife, Dee Warner, closing a case that shocked the state for years.

Dee Warner, 52, disappeared from the couple’s Franklin Township home in April 2021. For years, the case remained a mystery until investigators discovered her remains in August 2024, sealed inside an ammonia fertilizer tank on property connected to the family farm.

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Prosecutors argued that Dale Warner killed his wife during a deteriorating marriage after she discussed leaving him and selling their businesses. They said he then wrapped her body, sealed it inside the tank, and attempted to hide the crime. An autopsy later found she had been strangled and suffered blunt force trauma.

During the trial, the defense maintained there was no direct physical evidence tying Warner to the killing and argued investigators relied on circumstantial evidence. After more than a day of deliberations, jurors returned the guilty verdict Tuesday afternoon, March 10, in Lenawee County court.

Warner is scheduled to be sentenced May 7, bringing a legal end to a case that drew national attention and years of “Justice for Dee” calls from the community.