Dee Warner’s brother told jurors March 3 that his alarm and suspicion grew as he watched her husband, Dale Warner, “doing nothing” in the days after she vanished in April 2021, as emotional testimony continued during the latter’s homicide trial in Lenawee County.
Gregg Hardy, who lived next door to the Warners’ property on Munger Road, said his wife called him April 25 to share that Dee was missing. Hardy said he immediately joined efforts to find her, organizing searches, reviewing phone records and repeatedly contacting investigators.
Hardy, 19 years older than his sister, said he often acted as a father figure toward her, and she sometimes came to his home for safety with her children. Hardy told jurors he became concerned early in the investigation because Dee was gone without her vehicle and her youngest child, Angelina.
“That was very concerning to me,” Hardy said, fighting back tears through much of his testimony.
Hardy said his relationship with Dale deteriorated in the months after Dee’s disappearance. He testified that, after learning she was missing, Hardy tried calling and texting her — something he rarely did because they usually communicated only when something was important.
“She always answered,” Hardy said. “She didn’t answer this time.”
Hardy testified to seeing Dale tilling part of a field east of the home after Dee was reported missing, which he found troubling. When he confronted his brother-in-law, he said, Dale told him the couple had a “hell of a fight” and that his wife left, possibly picked up by someone else.
“It bothered me a lot because he wasn’t doing anything,” Hardy said.
Hardy testified that he urged Dale to offer a cash reward for information — and when Dale refused, he offered $50,000 himself. He also organized a large search involving about 30 people that covered hundreds of acres between M-52 and Tipton Highway. Hardy said Dale didn’t participate and didn’t want the search made public.
Hardy told jurors he obtained Dee’s phone records and began calling numbers she’d contacted. During the investigation, he said, he alerted police to anhydrous ammonia tanks on the property and suggested one, in particular, be examined.
Mary Chartier, defense attorney, questioned Hardy about statements he made to the media during the yearslong search for his sister, and about a text message in which he acknowledged potential liability if prosecutors failed to secure a conviction.
During her reference to that message, Hardy began to call Dale “an evil person” before being cut off by Judge Michael Olsaver.
Hardy testified he later received a call from Detective Daniel Drewyor informing him Dee’s remains had been found. They were discovered in August 2024 inside an anhydrous ammonia tank on the property off Munger Road.
Dale Warner is charged with open murder, tampering with evidence and lying to police. Prosecutors allege he killed his wife during a domestic dispute and concealed her body.
Jurors briefly heard from two other defense witnesses March 3.
Julie Bock, ex-wife of Dale, testified about their marriage, which ended in divorce in 2003 after 15 years. She described the divorce as cordial but acknowledged later custody disputes. Bock said Dale contacted her within days of Dee’s disappearance to ask if their son could help with bookkeeping for the business.
Todd Neyrinck, a former employee of the couple’s business, testified that he saw Dee at the farm office on April 23, 2021, and said she appeared agitated. Neyrinck said he returned to the property April 25 to retrieve a truck and noticed the lights and television on inside the home, which he said was normal.
The defense rested March 3, with closing arguments scheduled March 5.
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— Contact reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @cmurrayhdn.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Brother says Dee Warner’s husband did nothing after she vanished
Reporting by Corey J. Murray, The Daily Telegram / The Daily Telegram
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