A Michigan farmer who claimed his wife had simply walked away from her life has been sentenced to at least 31 years in prison for her murder, after her body was discovered hidden inside a welded-shut fertilizer tank on their property.
A Troubled Marriage
Dee and Dale Warner married in 2006, but their relationship was marked by stark differences. Dee, 52, was outgoing and sociable, while Dale was quiet and focused on his farming work. So much so that Dee would even take holidays with other people because her husband did not want to go.
The couple built a multimillion-dollar empire together, including a trucking company owned by Dee, a farm producing crops, and a chemical company selling fertilizer and seed. They lived on 4,000 acres in Tipton, Michigan, with their blended family of four children each from previous marriages and a nine-year-old daughter together.
Despite their business success, the marriage soured into a business arrangement. Dee confided in loved ones that she wanted a divorce, had an affair, and that Dale remained suspicious, even placing a GPS tracker on her car.
The Night She Vanished
On April 24, 2021, Dee arranged for her daughter to have a sleepover so she could discuss separation and asset division with Dale. She knew the conversation would be contentious, as she stood to receive a larger payout from the trucking business.
The next morning, Dee's daughter Rikkell Bock arrived for their usual Sunday breakfast but found her mother missing. Dee's cars were in the garage, but personal items like her curling iron, phone, and passport were gone. However, farm cameras did not show her leaving.
Police spoke with Dale, who claimed Dee had been sleeping when he left for work and suggested she had left voluntarily, pointing to her missing wedding ring worth over $40,000 as proof. He admitted they had argued but downplayed the severity.
The Investigation
Dee's family did not believe she would abandon them or her lucrative businesses. Police considered Dale a prime suspect but found no evidence on the property. Dee never accessed her bank accounts or used her phone again, but without a body, the case stalled.
In 2022, Michigan State Police took over, and Dee was officially declared dead. In November 2023, Dale was arrested despite the lack of physical evidence. A judge ruled the case could proceed to trial, stating Dee would not have simply walked away from her family.
The Discovery
In August 2024, police revealed they had removed a large metal tank used for storing anhydrous ammonia from the Warner property. The tank, welded shut and empty of ammonia, contained Dee's body. She had been there all along, in plain sight.
Trial and Sentencing
At trial, prosecutors detailed how Dee was beaten, strangled, and had her mouth and nose duct-taped before being placed in the tank. They argued Dale tried to make it appear she had left willingly to avoid losing assets in a divorce.
In March 2026, Dale Warner, 58, was found guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. During sentencing, Dee's brother Gregg Hardy called him a "narcissistic psychopathic liar and murderer" and described the act of welding her body into a tank as "barbaric."
Dee's daughter Rikkell said, "He brutally beat her, strangled her, and as if that was not enough, he duct-taped her hands and mouth. He wrapped her in a tarp and hid her in a tank. He took away a beautiful soul."
The judge sentenced Dale to 31 to 60 years in prison for murder and a consecutive 17 months to 10 years for tampering with evidence.
