Michigan Jury Convicts Dale Warner of Second Degree Murder After Wife’s Remains Discovered in Farm Fertilizer Tank

Dale Warner was found guilty of second degree murder after his wife's remains were found in a farm tank. Read the verdict details from the Michigan court.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 11, 2026, 4:32 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Fox News Media

The Verdict Reached in Lenawee County

A yearslong investigative saga reached its judicial conclusion on Tuesday as a Michigan jury returned a guilty verdict against Dale Warner. The defendant was convicted of second degree murder and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of his wife, Dee Warner, who vanished from her Franklin Township home in April 2021. The decision effectively ends a period of intense legal uncertainty that followed the high profile disappearance, which had captured national attention through various media platforms and local advocacy campaigns.

A Discovery Within the Rural Landscape

The investigation underwent a significant shift in 2024 when authorities finally located the remains of the 52 year old victim. According to investigators, her body was found concealed inside a large fertilizer tank in a rural area of Michigan. The tank had been strategically marked with tags reading "out of service" and "do not fill," a detail that prosecutors suggested was a deliberate attempt to hide the body permanently. An autopsy later confirmed that the cause of death involved strangulation and blunt force trauma, providing the physical evidence necessary to move forward with a murder trial.

Arguments Over Direct Physical Ties

During the court proceedings, the defense team, led by attorney Mary Chartier, maintained that there was no direct physical evidence linking Dale Warner to the act of killing. The defense argued that the defendant had been cooperative throughout the years of searching and that a lack of attentiveness as a spouse did not equate to criminal guilt. Chartier emphasized to the jury that their role was not to pass judgment on the quality of the couple's marriage, but to determine if the prosecution had met the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt regarding the homicide itself.