LENAWEE COUNTY, Mich. — A preliminary hearing in the homicide of Dee Warner, a Lenawee County woman who went missing in 2021, is scheduled for April 9. Dale Warner, her husband at the time of her death, is charged with murder in her death.
Dee Warner's family said they're eager to see progress in the case. On March 11, a judge declared her legally dead, something her family had been pushing for since 2022.
EARLIER COVERAGE: Dee Warner's family petitions court to declare her dead
"For me it's important because I'm very interested in hearing the defense of the indefensible," Gregg Hardy, Dee Warner's brother said about the upcoming preliminary hearing.
Rikkel Bock, Dee Warner's daughter took the stand last year during a hearing during which she and her family were petitioning to have Dee Warner declared dead.
"It was intimidating at first, but as I got up there and was a little bit more relaxed it was telling, telling the story of my mom," Bock said.
Bock was one of the last people to have spoken to her mom and will possibly be called as a witness again at the preliminary hearing in just over two weeks.
"It is a little bit intimidating when the defense comes at you, but I can handle it. I'm just telling the truth," Bock said.
Dee Warner's family has suspected Dale Warner, Dee's husband, of killing her since she disappeared in April of 2021.
In November of 2023, Dale was charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
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, Mich. She has not had any contact with her family or friends after she went missing and her remains have not been found, though searches of properties - including some owned by Dale Warner - have been conducted by Michigan State Police.
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