Would Michigan investigators be able to prove murder in a case without a body?

4 days ago 13

It was Sunday April 25, 2021, a outpouring greeting successful the farmland of Lenawee County, Michigan. Rikkell Bock drove the abbreviated region from her location to her puerility location for her play meal with her mother, Dee Warner.

Rikkell Bock: Sundays … we would … spell up to my mom's archetypal thing.

Rikkell says that erstwhile her ma was not there, and not answering calls oregon texts, it conscionable didn't consciousness right.

Rikkell Bock: If my ma could glue her telephone to her hand, she would … If I didn't respond to a substance connection successful 5 minutes, I was getting different one, "Hello?"

One of Dee's cars, a Hummer, was parked astatine the workplace office, conscionable down the road.

Erin Moriarty: What astir your mother's car that you drove each the time, the Cadillac?

Rikkell Bock: It was parked successful the garage.

Erin Moriarty: So, each your mother's cars are there?

Rikkell Bock: Yes.

Erin Moriarty: And she's not responding to immoderate benignant of calls oregon texts?

Rikkell Bock: No.

The fertilizer sprayer, usually parked successful a barn, was gone, and Rikkell's stepfather, Dale Warner, was retired connected it — working.

Erin Moriarty: Was that normal?

Rikkell Bock: Yeah. … it was beauteous mean for him to enactment immoderate day, immoderate clip of day.

Rikkell went down the roadworthy to the location of Gregg and Shelley Hardy — Dee's member and sister-in-law.

Shelley Hardy: She said, "We can't find her." And I'm like, "what bash you mean you can't find her?" They said, "Her car is here. We person called everybody. We don't cognize wherever she's at."

Gregg Hardy: The archetypal happening I did was telephone her fig … If she was somewhere, she would reply my telephone telephone … and past I substance her.

Erin Moriarty: And did you —

Gregg Hardy: And nothing.

WHERE'S DEE WARNER?

Rikkell and her Aunt Shelley went driving to look for Dee. They returned to her location with lone much questions.

Shelley Hardy: There were blankets … laying connected the sofa and tissues, tissues everyplace … Everywhere. There were these tissues.

They looked upstairs successful the chamber and bath for clues.

Rikkell Bock: Her make-up container was gone. Her curling iron, and each of that worldly was gone.

Later they learned Dee's telephone and passport were missing, too.

Rikkell Bock: The feeling that I had successful my tummy was … thing but fear.

Zack Bock, different of Dee's 4 children from her archetypal marriage, soon came implicit to articulation the search. He went down to the workplace bureau to look for immoderate motion of his mom.

Zack Bock: There's cameras present successful the office. I'll look astatine the cameras.

There was a information camera wrong the bureau and a fewer much outside.

Zack Bock: I ne'er saw her locomotion to the office. I ne'er saw her thrust a vehicle. … I didn't spot her.

And determination was thing other retired of the ordinary. Their 9-year-old sister Lena, Dee and Dale's lone kid together, had stayed astatine her cousin's location the nighttime earlier and Dee hadn't yet called oregon travel to get her.

Rikkell Bock: Lena went everyplace with my mom. … They were very, precise close.

Erin Moriarty: And would she ever permission Lena down with Dale?

Rikkell Bock: Never.

Zack Bock: I called my siblings. We met up astatine my house, and we called the sheriff's department.

By now, it was precocious successful the time connected Sunday, and the Lenawee County Sheriff's Office sent a deputy, Austin Hall, to speech to Dale Warner. The speech was recorded connected a assemblage camera:

DEPUTY HALL (bodycam | April 25, 2021 ): Hi, I'm Deputy Hall from the Lenawee County Sheriff's Office. How are you, sir?

DALE WARNER: Good.

Dale Warner speaks to a lawman connected bodycam

DALE WARNER (bodycam | April 25, 2021): She was sleeping connected the couch.

Dale told constabulary helium had past seen Dee that greeting earlier helium went retired to work.

DALE WARNER (bodycam | April 25, 2021): And past this greeting astir 6 o'clock, I got up and, you know, she was snoring distant … I texted her and she didn't answer. So, I figured, well, she's inactive sleeping.

Dale seemed to judge his woman was live and good — and that she near intentionally.

DALE WARNER (bodycam | April 25, 2021): Well, her hairsbreadth curler's gone, her hairsbreadth dryer's gone, her make-up container is gone … I went and seen each that worldly gone, I wasn't existent concerned.

He said she mightiness beryllium utilizing different phone.

DALE WARNER (bodycam | April 25, 2021): I told the different kids she's got a 2nd telephone …

DEPUTY HALL: Do you person a telephone number?

DALE WARNER: No. It's a concealed telephone that she doesn't cognize that I cognize she has it.

Dale besides told constabulary that Dee had been upset and suffering from a migraine the nighttime earlier aft an statement with 2 of her employees.

DALE WARNER (bodycam | April 25, 2021): I came location past night, and she was truly upset. She was talking ... atrocious things arsenic acold arsenic employees, the 1 worker decided to discontinue …

DALE WARNER: (bodycam | April 25, 2021): We got 3 antithetic businesses here. So, the tensions are precocious each the time.

Dale and Dee Warner ran 3 main businesses from their farm. Zack Bock was their bookkeeper.

Zack Bock: My ma ran fundamentally the bureau for each 3 businesses.

There was a trucking concern with astir 15 employees that Dee managed.

Zack Bock: She ever referred to it arsenic her trucking business.

And determination was the workplace itself, and a chemic company, that sold fertilizer and seed.

Erin Moriarty: Which was the astir successful? Which did the best?

Stephanie Voelkle: 100% … the trucking company.

Stephanie Voelkle worked for the Warners and describes Dee arsenic a bully businessperson: tough, generous and hard-working. But Rikkell says that moving that trucking concern was not casual for Dee.

Rikkell Bock: I cognize that she had a hard clip getting respect from immoderate of the farmers due to the fact that she was a pistillate and younger and pretty.

Dale told constabulary that struggle betwixt Dee and their employees was thing new.

DALE WARNER (bodycam | April 25, 2021): I mean, she's had altercations with rather a fewer people. I mean, she's beauteous wired, if you cognize my wife.

DEPUTY HALL: I — I don't know, but —

DALE WARNER: She's successful your look and tells you however it is.

On Saturday, the time earlier she went missing, Dee had texted Voelkle asking her however to artifact the operator who had discontinue from the company's Facebook page.

Stephanie Voelkle (reading her texts) I told her however to bash it. ... that was astatine 4:34.

Erin Moriarty: On Saturday afternoon, April 24th.

Stephanie Voelkle: Yep. And past astatine 4:44, I said, "did you archer Zack?" At 7:43, I said, "How are you?" (crying) And she ne'er answered.

Erin Moriarty: That's the precise past clip you ever heard from Dee Warner?

Stephanie Voelkle: Yeah.

Shelley Hardy wondered if the pressures had conscionable go excessively overmuch for Dee.

Erin Moriarty: You're reasoning astatine that point, she mightiness person taken her life?

Shelley Hardy: I did.

Gregg Hardy: We were disquieted due to the fact that of everyone's study of her affectional behavior.

Shelley Hardy: She had been upset and had an statement connected Friday and Saturday …

Gregg Hardy: The crescendo was gathering up … There mightiness person been a breaking constituent ...

QUESTIONS FOR DALE WARNER

Erin Moriarty: Can you deliberation of a time erstwhile nary 1 knew wherever your parent was? A afloat day.

Rikkell Bock: No.

After proceeding thing from Dee, immoderate of those closest to her feared she whitethorn person harmed herself and they noticed that her hubby Dale didn't look precise worried.

DALE WARNER (bodycam): She'll chill disconnected and she'll travel backmost home.

Dale had told the sheriff's lawman that Dee, erstwhile upset, had a past of spending the nighttime elsewhere.

DALE WARNER (bodycam): She took each her bags. So, idiosyncratic picked her up.

And helium said helium thought she mightiness travel backmost eventually.

DALE WARNER (bodycam): I mean, I don't cognize what other to bash different than hold a time oregon so, and spot what –

DEPUTY HALL: Sure.

DALE WARNER: — she shows up.

But the sheriff's bureau did not hold for Dee to amusement up. They came retired connected Monday and Tuesday to behaviour interviews and hunt the property. On Thursday, 4 days aft Dee disappeared, they searched the workplace again. And Dale agreed to speech to them, astatine length, astatine the room table.

Dale present told the investigators that helium and Dee had had a combat connected Saturday. He said she had accused him of talking astir her, down her back, to the employees she had fought with—which Dale denied.

DALE WARNER (bodycam | April 29, 2021): And she bent up the telephone and I had nary much interaction with her the remainder of the day. ... I tried calling her respective times and she wouldn't reply her phone.

He said helium didn't speech to Dee again until that evening, astatine home, erstwhile their combat continued.

DALE WARNER (bodycam | April 29, 2021): She says, "you don't attraction astir me, cipher cares astir me, and what does it substance if I'm adjacent here?"

Dale and Dee Warner had been partners successful beingness and concern since they started their archetypal institution unneurotic successful 2005—the twelvemonth earlier they got married.

Erin Moriarty: Was this a emotion match? Did you consciousness that way?

Gregg Hardy: No. … She had a tendency for success.

Shelley Hardy: Yes.

Gregg Hardy: I judge that's what her attraction was, I truly do.

They weren't an evident pair. Dee's household and friends accidental she loved to person fun, formal up, spell out, and dance. Dale, they say, conscionable seemed to enactment a lot.

Stephanie Voelkle: I don't cognize what she's seen successful him. I truly don't. … He doesn't similar to bash things with her. I went connected a cruise with her due to the fact that helium didn't privation to go.

Zack Bock: Dale … was reasonably quiet, benignant of distant from each of america kids.

Rikkell Bock: When helium did communicate, it was usually -- helium benignant of liked to poke astatine radical … wherever helium knew would wounded the worst.

Rikkell says Dale helped provender Dee's insecurities.

Rikkell Bock: I don't deliberation she ever felt, bully capable … similar she felt similar she had to beryllium perpetually everything successful her life, her looks, her — her money, her businesses—everything.

Dee's household aboriginal learned she had been having an affair. It didn't astonishment them, they said, fixed the authorities of her marriage. But constabulary accidental her matter spouse was retired of municipality the play she went missing and could not person had thing to bash with the case. A week aft her disappearance, Dee's member Gregg Hardy organized a hunt of the onshore astir her home.

Gregg Hardy: We each went connected ft … And we walked up astir apt 5, 6, 700 acres —

Erin Moriarty: Wow.

Gregg Hardy: We -- we came up zero.

By now, Dee's household was increasing suspicious of Dale. On the time Dee went missing, Dale told each of them what happened, but they accidental they each heard somewhat antithetic versions.

Gregg Hardy: She had a atrocious migraine headache. She was laying connected the floor. He gave her a massage. She went to sleep. He picked her up and enactment her connected the sofa astir 12:30. ... helium got up astir 6, 6:30, helium left, but she was snoring connected the couch.

Zack says Dale told him helium had had a combat with Dee.

Zack Bock: He said that they had a truly large combat the nighttime before.

But Rikkell says Dale told her the combat was nary large deal.

Rikkell Bock: He said that — they had a small combat the nighttime earlier … and she was each huffy and she won't reply him now.

And determination was different unusual item successful the communicative Dale told Dee's household and constabulary that Sunday.

DALE WARNER (April 25, 2021 | bodycam): The lone happening that's truly strange, too, is this clip she enactment her wedding ringing connected my desk, successful the bureau and near it. You cognize and present she's gone.

DEPUTY HALL: Yeah.

DALE WARNER: She's ne'er done that before.

Rikkell Bock, Zack Bock and Gregg Hardy each accidental Dale showed them that ringing connected Sunday too, seeming to connection it arsenic impervious that Dee had near intentionally, and possibly for good. But Gregg says that ringing is worthy arsenic overmuch arsenic $40,000. And leaving it down didn't dependable similar Dee.

Gregg Hardy: That's not my sister. … Not lone would she not springiness him the wedding ringing back, she astir apt would've thrown a Molotov cocktail successful the location connected her mode out.

As clip passed the family's suspicions that Dale had harmed his woman lone grew. About six weeks aft Dee went missing, Gregg says helium confronted Dale astir however helium thought the probe was progressing.

Gregg Hardy: I inquire him point-blank, "Dale, what bash you deliberation astir … your woman is inactive missing? … She conscionable disappeared connected bladed air?" And helium said to maine … "Well, it could beryllium a small faster, but I deliberation they're doing a bully job. And that's erstwhile I — I told him, I said, "you cognize what? You're a liar" … And I told him, "I'll get you."

Erin Moriarty: You told him that?

Gregg Hardy: Yeah.

But believing Dale had thing to bash with Dee's disappearance was precise antithetic from being capable to beryllium it. The Michigan State Police and the FBI helped the region sheriff behaviour a large-scale hunt of their properties again successful October, but determination was inactive nary motion of Dee live oregon dead.

Shelley Hardy: We had been struggling due to the fact that everybody said you don't person a body; you don't person a body.

In February 2022, 10 months aft Dee had gone missing, Shelley was watching an occurrence of "48 Hours" featuring an researcher named Billy Little.

BILLY LITTLE (from "48 Hours"' "Searching for Maya Millete") You don't person a body. So what? You don't get to get distant with execution due to the fact that you're bully astatine disposing of bodies.

Shelley Hardy: So I thought, "Oh my gosh, I — I got to person Gregg spot this." … truthful helium watched it and instantly erstwhile helium said that, helium said, "get maine that guy's number."

A BROTHER'S "GUT FEELING"

Gregg Hardy was convinced Dale Warner was down his sister's disappearance.

Although the sheriff's bureau had conducted astatine slightest 7 searches and interviewed Dale Warner respective times, Gregg was increasing impatient by what helium saw arsenic a deficiency of progress. Authorities, says Gregg, told him that without a assemblage it would beryllium hard to complaint Dale Warner with murder. Which is wherefore Gregg called Missouri-based lawyer and researcher Billy Little.

Billy Little: Maybe you'll find the body, possibly you won't. But don't beryllium astir waiting for Santa Claus to come. You gotta lick this case.

Little made his archetypal travel to Lenawee County successful the outpouring of 2022.

Billy Little (driving with Moriarty successful Lenawee County): My extremity is ever to conscionable observe the truth, find retired what happened … the bully happening astir the information is it doesn't person a side.

Little got to enactment connected his ain probe and learned from Dee's household that the mates argued often — particularly astir money.

Billy Little: This was not a blessed marriage, a matrimony of … endless love.

Dee's big children told Little their ma had often talked astir divorcement but said she didn't privation to divided custody of their small sister Lena with Dale Warner. Still, the time earlier Dee disappeared, they say, thing had changed.

Erin Moriarty: Had you truly seen your parent similar that before?

Rikkell Bock: Upset, yes. … But this was conscionable precise different. She was, like, astir calm.

Dee's kids accidental that she had yet had capable and was going to archer Dale that nighttime she wanted to merchantability the profitable trucking concern and extremity her marriage.

Erin Moriarty: This was Dee's life. Why did she privation to merchantability the business?

Billy Little: … Because it had go excessively hard emotionally and personally for her … That's however atrocious the matrimony had gotten.

Gregg told Little that helium thought Dale was moving wealth betwixt the businesses aft Dee disappeared. Gregg had already filed a civilian suit to support Dee's interests and to get much accusation astir what Dale was doing.

Gregg Hardy: Call it a gut feeling if you'd like, immoderate you'd telephone it.

In tribunal documents, Dale says helium did determination money—on the proposal of professionals. The much Little learned, helium says, the much helium — similar the household — became convinced that Dee was nary longer alive.

Billy Little: The grounds that she's dormant is the lack of grounds that she's alive. … No surveillance cameras, nary physics signature, her phone's not found, her slope accounts were ne'er accessed … currency wasn't taken from the house. Even the ringing … She didn't adjacent instrumentality that.

Gregg and Little tried to summation the unit connected Dale. Friends had started a societal media run called "Justice for Dee." And Gregg paid for a billboard that helium says helium wrote sarcastically, saying "Help Dale Find Dee." It went up astatine a large intersection adjacent Dale Warner's workplace — where, Hardy says, drivers from the trucking institution would beryllium definite to spot it each day.

Billy Little (driving with Moriarty): "Help Dale Find Dee." It was portion of astir intelligence operations.

But Little says helium and Gregg were mostly focused connected trying to find grounds to assistance physique a execution lawsuit … without a body.

Billy Little: You've got a batch of equipment, you've got a batch of chemicals, determination are a batch of ways to dispose of the assemblage connected a farm.

And they continued to hunt relentlessly for immoderate hint of Dee.

Gregg Hardy (with Moriarty): You tin spot determination is simply a silo close implicit there. That's the determination of wherever the buildings were.

The spot Gregg showed Moriarty, astir 3 miles from Dale and Dee Warner's home, is 1 of the places that stood retired to Gregg. Six months aft Dee disappeared, determination was a occurrence wherever the aged farmhouse utilized to be, and Hardy says the neighbors told him they thought Dale—who owned the spot with Dee—had acceptable that fire. The occurrence was determined to beryllium a controlled burn, which are communal successful the area. Police searched the tract successful October 2021, conscionable a fewer days aft that fire. It's not known what, if anything, they learned. Gregg and Little came present themselves the adjacent year.

Gregg Hardy (with Moriarty astatine the property): We utilized a drone to fly, not lone this site, but each tract we could find astir here. We flew a mates 1000 acres of drone footage.

They recovered thing conclusive. But that aged workplace was conscionable 1 tract they thought was suspicious.

Gregg Hardy: There is fundamentally 3 oregon 4 large sites that fuss me.

There was a tract adjacent Rikkell's location that Dale had farmed. And different field, 2 towns over, that Dale had entree to. And galore much places Gregg wanted constabulary to cheque further.

Erin Moriarty: And is it the truly hard portion astir this, Gregg, is there's conscionable truthful galore places?

Gregg Hardy: There are truthful galore places.

In August 2022, the Michigan State Police took implicit Dee's case. Gregg and Little had pushed for this due to the fact that they accidental the authorities constabulary had much acquisition and resources than the region sheriff.

After the authorities constabulary took implicit the case, they interviewed Dale again and pressed him connected his story. Warner told them that the statement with that worker conscionable earlier Dee disappeared was partially astir Dee taking wealth from the business

DALE WARNER (Dec. 2022 constabulary interview): Dee said helium [that employee] called her retired and said, I cognize what you've been doing. You've been taking this wealth you cognize you've been doing this … and she'd been had, she couldn't fell it anymore.

But constabulary did not person grounds that Dee had stolen money. In September, the household filed different suit to person Dee Warner declared legally dead. Gregg says helium wanted to beryllium capable to record a wrongful decease suit against Dale 1 day. The household waited for quality connected the transgression lawsuit and past —

Gregg Hardy: It was beauteous brainsick due to the fact that we had a gathering with the authoritative the aforesaid time … and she gave maine nary indication.

On Nov. 21, 2023, two-and-a-half years aft Dee Warner went missing, the quality came that her husband, Dale, was nether arrest. Stephanie Voelkle was preparing for her mother's ceremonial erstwhile she got the call.

Stephanie Voelkle: Rikkell's boyfriend, called maine … and helium said Dale was arrested for murder. And I fell to my knees astatine the ceremonial home. [I was] conscionable truthful happy.

Dale Warner was charged with the execution of his woman Dee. He pleaded not guilty, and Dee's household braced themselves for a agelong ineligible conflict ahead.

Rikkell Bock: However agelong it took, we wouldn't halt fighting.

DEE WARNER'S FAMILY GETS THEIR DAY IN COURT

On May 1, 2024, conscionable a small much than 3 years aft Dee Warner disappeared, her friends and household gathered astatine the Lenawee County District Court for the archetypal time of Dale Warner's preliminary hearing.

Erin Moriarty: You had to testify. … Were you nervous?

Rikkell Bock: Yeah … I mean, each you bash is archer the truth. So that's what I kept telling myself.

It would beryllium up to Judge Anna Frushour to determine if the lawsuit should determination to trial.

Stephanie Voelkle: I was disquieted … due to the fact that determination is truthful small carnal evidence.

Dee had been precocious declared dormant successful civilian court, but Dale's defence attorney, Mary Chartier, said this was a information prosecutors would request to found themselves successful the transgression case.

MARY CHARTIER (in court): There is nary body. There are nary assemblage parts. … Whether Ms. Warner is dormant is thing that the authorities needs to prove.

But the authorities was determined to amusement that portion determination was nary body, determination was besides nary grounds that Dee was inactive alive.

JACKIE WYSE (in court): Since April 24th, 2021, person you seen Dee Warner?

STEPHANIE VOELKLE: No.

JACKIE WYSE: Have you heard from Dee Warner?

STEPHANIE VOELKLE: No.

And authoritative Jackie Wyse worked to amusement determination was nary grounds that Dee had taken disconnected connected her own. She asked Voelkle astir that concealed telephone that Dale claimed his woman had.

JACKIE WYSE (in court): Did she ever sermon getting a 2nd telephone with you?

STEPHANIE VOELKLE: She did. … She had asked maine to look into pricing and trying to find 1 for her, yes.

JACKIE WYSE: OK. So, up until April 25th, 2021, did you ever acquisition that phone?

STEPHANIE VOELKLE: No.

Erin Moriarty: Could she person bought the telephone connected her own?

Stephanie Voelkle: Yeah. She could person bought it connected her own, but she would've had idiosyncratic other acceptable it up. She was not tech savvy.

Michigan State Police Detective Daniel Drewyor is the pb researcher connected this case. He testified astatine the preliminary proceeding astir the exhaustive searches instrumentality enforcement did to find immoderate hint of enactment from Dee implicit the 3 years she had been missing.

DET. DREWYOR (in court): We did, hunt warrants for healthcare records, telephone records. We searched galore vehicles … We got records for societal media. We did respective onshore searches.

All their searches came up empty—but Dee's daughter, Rikkell, had noticed thing funny astatine the Warner home. On the stand, she said that connected the time her parent disappeared she saw tyre tracks by the backmost of the house.

RIKKELL BOCK: There were 2 tracks that led up to the sliding solid door.

There were nary information cameras pointed astatine this portion of the property, but the prosecution suggested that the tracks Rikkell saw were near by Dale Warner utilizing the farm's JCB front-end loader to region Dee's assemblage from their home.

DET. DREWYOR: When parking the front-end loader, the JCB, successful this spot, the bucket attached to it fits betwixt those 2 pillars and you tin acceptable it connected the platform up against the backmost door.

DALE WARNER (Dec. 2022 | constabulary interview): I didn't spot thing successful the house. Dee was inactive sleeping.

In his 2022 interrogation with police, Dale Warner had an mentation for those tracks — helium said helium thought helium utilized the loader to spell backmost to the location and get his worksheet for the sprayer astatine astir 6:30 a.m.

DALE WARNER (Dec. 2022| constabulary interview): I deliberation I had to tally and drawback my damn sheet, my load sheet. I don't retrieve for definite ... I travel got the JCB, the loader, pulled astir by the location and I tally in. I had to drawback thing retired of the location and I tally backmost out, got successful the loader, backed backmost out.

MARY CHARTIER (in court): No grounds that Ms. Warner is dormant ... and nary grounds that she was murdered was found, correct?

DET. DREWYOR: Yes, ma'am.

The defence emphasized determination was nary grounds Dale had thing to bash with Dee's disappearance. And, successful fact, his statements astir what helium was doing that greeting were supported by information videos astir the farm. The videos, played successful court, amusement Dale astatine 7 a.m., utilizing that front-end loader. At 7:45 a.m., constabulary say, helium sends Dee this substance that was work retired large successful court, "Going to beryllium spraying. telephone you aboriginal :)" He is seen 3 minutes aboriginal driving a sprayer onto the roadworthy and returning astatine 8:13 a.m.

MARY CHARTIER (in court): So, you had the sprayer records for the John Deere and past did you really adjacent bash a sprayer reenactment?

DET. DREWYOR: We did. Yes, ma'am.

MARY CHARTIER: Consistent with what Mr. Warner said, right?

DET. DREWYOR: Consistent with the clip that occurred connected that morning, yes.

The defence besides argued that Dale had not acted similar a blameworthy man. He allowed constabulary to hunt his properties and spoke to them galore times aft Dee disappeared. Only parts of a fewer of those interviews were played successful court, but his lawyer said that Dale had repeatedly denied harming Dee.

MARY CHARTIER (in court): Of each the telephone calls and interviews with Mr. Warner, helium ne'er erstwhile said helium harmed his wife, correct?

DET. DREWYOR: Correct.

MARY CHARTIER: He was ever adamant that helium did not, correct?

DET. DREWYOR: Yes.

Over and over, the defence underscored the deficiency carnal grounds successful the case.

MARY CHARTIER (in court): Do you person a execution limb successful this case?

DET. DREWYOR: No, ma'am.

MARY CHARTIER: Big excavation of blood, thing similar that?

DET. DREWYOR: No, we person nary forensic grounds of that nature. No, Ma'am.

In her last connection to the judge, Chartier argues that determination is nary ground for the charges.

MARY CHARTIER (in court): They hone successful connected Mr. Warner from the beginning.

MARY CHARTIER (in court): If helium murdered his wife, wherever connected world is Ms. Warner?

JACKIE WYSE (in court): Since 4/25/2021, cipher has heard from oregon seen Dee Warner.

Prosecutor Jackie Wyse maintained that the state's lawsuit was strong.

JACKIE WYSE: All we're required to beryllium astatine this signifier is, probable origin to judge that Dale Warner killed Dee Warner. And … probable origin modular has been met.

The determination was present with the judge—and Dee's supporters were worried. Would Dale present look the execution complaint astatine trial—or would helium locomotion retired arsenic a escaped man?

Rikkell Bock: The thought of him getting retired was conscionable scary. … Do we person enough?

AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY CLOSE TO HOME

On June 7, 2024, Judge Anna Frushour returned to tribunal with her decision. She archetypal spoke astir Dee.

JUDGE ANNA FRUSHOUR: Dee Warner was a pistillate with a large bosom and a temper. She cared for her children and grandchildren, and employees. … There was nothing, successful the evidence, that suggested she would vanish intentionally, particularly from her children.

And determination was thing she heard, the justice said, that made her consciousness differently.

JUDGE ANNA FRUSHOUR: The statements by Dale Warner … of a concealed telephone ... and idiosyncratic coming to prime up Dee Warner were not supported by immoderate facts oregon grounds successful this case.

But determination was capable evidence, she said, to judge that Dee Warner was dormant and that her hubby was apt the 1 down it.

JUDGE ANNA FRUSHOUR: There is probable origin that Dee Warner died by homicide astatine the hands of the defendant, Dale Warner.

Rikkell Bock: This is reality. … They deliberation that there's capable grounds that helium killed our ma to spell to trial.

Dale has been ordered to basal proceedings for the execution of his wife, but Little knows the existent enactment is inactive ahead.

Billy Little: My fearfulness for getting past a preliminary proceeding was astir apt a 1 retired of 10. My fearfulness of getting a condemnation astatine proceedings is astir apt an 8 retired of 10.

Erin Moriarty: It's a precocious bar.

Billy Little: Yeah.

Law enforcement was inactive searching for carnal grounds and successful August 2024, 2 months aft that preliminary proceeding concluded, that's precisely what they found. Dee's household heard astir it first.

Rikkell Bock: I received a connection ... that said we request to person an exigency gathering with the detectives.

They met detectives astatine Gregg and Shelley Hardy's farm. Police told them they had gone backmost to a spot that Dale and Dee Warner owned and taken distant a ample metallic vessel that was utilized to store fertilizer. According to a hunt warrant, that vessel had a "non-factory weld connected the back" and a motion connected it that said, "out of service"… "do not fill." When the vessel was scanned, investigators yet recovered what they had been looking for.

Rikkell Bock: It was my mom. Well, it was a assemblage successful a tank.

It took conscionable days, authorities say, to corroborate that the assemblage wrong that tank was Dee Warner. Her decease was ruled a homicide.

Erin Moriarty: And however did she die?

Gregg Hardy: They're not sharing that with me.

Authorities are not granting immoderate interviews astir this lawsuit earlier the trial, but that warrant besides says that information video from the time Dee was reported missing showed Dale successful 1 of the workplace buildings "searching for thing adjacent the welding equipment." For 3 years, constabulary had been looking for Dee's assemblage underground, and present they had travel to judge that she mightiness person been concealed supra ground.

Gregg Hardy: The vessel was successful this ... cultivation retention gathering close down me.

Erin Moriarty: And was the cylinder close successful here?

Gregg Hardy: Yeah, it was parked here.

Erin Moriarty: So, Dale would person entree to each this?

Gregg Hardy: He did.

Gregg says helium has nary uncertainty present that Dale killed Dee and hid her body.

Gregg Hardy: All these things … constituent successful 1 azygous direction, clearly, without immoderate question.

Erin Moriarty: And that's to Dale?

Gregg Hardy: That's correct.

Dale's defence lawyer declined to talk to "48 Hours" connected camera, but she told america that Dale maintains his innocence and said successful an email they're "prepared to vigorously combat for him successful tribunal and contiguous his defense."

Erin Moriarty: Isn't it apt that Dale's going to argue, well, that was a cylinder sitting retired successful a barn, anybody had entree to that cylinder, idiosyncratic could person travel into his ain barn and enactment your mom?

Rikkell Bock: Absolutely. I mean, helium — helium tin accidental — anything.

Rikkell says uncovering her mom's assemblage aft these 3 agelong years gave the household a consciousness of peace.

Rikkell Bock: I wanted to outcry from the rooftops to everybody that she didn't permission america willingly.

Dee's household laid her to remainder successful a backstage burial soon aft her assemblage was identified. Her girl Lena, present 12, was with them.

Gregg Hardy (emotional): The 1 happening that she knows for sure, that was her parent there. … That her parent didn't permission her. It was real.

Shelley Hardy (crying): It's similar you get deed successful the tummy each clip … I miss her laughter and her comfort.

Erin Moriarty: You miss her?

Stephanie Voelkle: Very overmuch … I miss her each day.

Rikkell and Zack Bock accidental they miss their parent deeply, and that her decease has changed them successful profound ways.

Zack Bock: I'm present 3 years sober. … And, soon aft she went missing, I started my ain existent property company. … I stopped being frightened of failing connected thing 'cause determination was thing near to lose.

Rikkell Bock: He's my mom's spirit, precise hardworking and driven and determined.

Erin Moriarty: Your children volition turn up proceeding astir Dee.

Rikkell Bock: Yeah.

Erin Moriarty: What volition you archer them astir your mother?

Rikkell Bock: Oh, my ma enjoyed being a grandma truthful overmuch ... They volition ever retrieve … however she would person been there. My ma would've been determination for everything.

On March 10, 2026, a assemblage recovered Dale Warner blameworthy of second-degree execution and tampering with grounds successful the decease of Dee Warner.

Produced by Sarah Prior. Cindy Cesare is the improvement producer. Chelsea Narvaez is the tract producer. Doreen Schechter, Diana Modica and Joan Adelman are the editors. Lourdes Aguiar is the elder producer. Nancy Kramer is the enforcement communicative editor. Judy Tygard is the enforcement producer

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