Human remains have been found on the property of the husband of Dee Ann Warner, a Michigan woman who has been missing since 2021, police said Sunday.
The court-approved search took place in Lenawee County as part of the investigation into her disappearance, Michigan State Police said. The remains have not been identified.
“The remains are currently being recovered and much more work and investigation will be required before a positive identification can be made,” state police said in a statement.
The family of Dee Ann Warner has been notified of the discovery, the agency said.
Dale Warner was charged last year with one count of open murder and one count of tampering in the case of his wife’s disappearance. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in early summer; a judge said there was enough evidence to go to trial.
Dale Warner’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday night. His defense team strongly denied the charges last year.
Authorities had said the case was complicated because they did not have a body. It is unclear why the property was not searched earlier. The couple lived in Tipton, in Lenawee County, about 65 miles southwest of Detroit.
Dee Ann Warner, a mother of five, ran a trucking company and farm. Three of her adult children reported her missing on April 25, 2021, the day Dale Warner said he last saw her.
The night she disappeared, there had been a business dispute involving Dee Ann Warner, her husband and one or two of the woman’s employees, Lenawee County Sheriff Troy Bevier told “Dateline” last year.
Gregg Hardy, brother of Dee Ann Warner, said after Dale Warner’s arrest last year that it was a heartbreaking time for the family, not only because his sister was still missing, but also because Dale Warner had been close to the family for years.
Dale and Dee Ann were married for 15 years.
“I have to stay focused on the reality that it happened,” Hardy told “Dateline.” “Sometimes it almost feels impossible that it happened, but I stay focused on the facts that show that it happened and who did it. And I’m a firm believer in justice.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
