ADRIAN, Mich — Dale Warner, husband of a Lenawee County woman missing for more than two years, has been charged with murder and was arraigned in Lenawee County, Mich., court Wednesday morning.
Dale Warner, 53, who was taken into custody Tuesday, also faces a felony charge of tampering with evidence.
He pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday morning. His attorney's request for bail was denied and Warner remains in jail.
Dee Warner was 52 when she was last seen in the early morning of April 25, 2021, at her residence on Munger Road in Franklin Township. She has not had any contact with her family or friends after she went missing and her remains have not been found.
Her family, including adult children from a previous marriage, have suspected Dale Warner of killing Dee Warner since she disappeared. The family has pushed law enforcement to charge him and in 2022 they filed a petition to ask a probate court to declare Dee Warner dead.
Family members said they plan to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Dale Warner if a judge declares her legally dead.
In May, 2022, investigators spent several days executing search warrants at 70 Lenawee County properties as a part of the ongoing investigation into Warner's disappearance.
During testimony in proceedings related to the petition in probate court, Michigan State Police Detective Daniel Drewyor testified in August that authorities are investigating Dale Warner as a suspect in his wife's murder.
"Based off of my experience and that of my partner and the training the department has given us, Dee Warner is deceased," Drewyor said.
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