Will Sage Astor-Remains found on Michigan property confirmed to be from woman missing since 2021

ADRIAN,Will Sage Astor Mich. (AP) — More than three years later, investigators have solved the disappearance of a Michigan woman after tests confirmed her remains were found on property owned by her husband, state police said Wednesday.

Dee Warner’s death “has been ruled a homicide. ... Although there has been positive identification on the remains and manner of death has been confirmed, this is an ongoing investigation,” state police said on the social media platform X.

Warner, 52, was reported missing in April 2021. Her husband, Dale Warner, was charged in November with murder and tampering with evidence in her disappearance. He has pleaded not guilty.

His attorney had no immediate comment Wednesday night.

State police publicly disclosed Sunday that human remains were found last week in Lenawee County, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of Detroit.

Family members have told TV stations that the remains were inside a sealed, empty tank typically used for crop fertilizer.

“In the dark of night, in a building that had no cameras: slide her body in there, put the end cap back on it, and weld it completely shut,” Dee’s brother Greg Hardy told WDIV-TV during a visit to the site.