Two top-notch investigators are working around the clock to find Dee Ann Warner, the 52-year-old Tecumseh woman, who went missing April 25, 2021. They joined a task force in March, 2022, and are doing it for free to help Dee’s family get justice. Billy Little, Jr., former Colonial in the military and nationally recognized capital defense attorney, and Chris McDonough, retired homicide detective and behavorial expert, disclosed updates of their investigation on McDonough’s YouTube podcast, The Interview Room on Sunday, June 5, 2022.
Little estimates he has interviewed close to 100 people to find Dee. “We don’t come into these cases with any preconceived notions. Wherever the facts take us, that’s where we go,” Little said.
Dee married her husband, Dale, in 2006. “They had a rocky relationship. There was verbal and physical violence, an escalation of violence throughout,” Little said during the podcast.
On the night before she went missing, Dee planned to tell Dale she wanted a divorce. A friend took their nine-year-old daughter for the night to shield her from a potentially ugly argument. The next day, Dale claimed he left for work at 6 AM and Dee was snoring on the couch.
“According to Dale, she left and went to Mexico or Jamaica,” Little said.
Little revealed Dale made a statement through his criminal defense attorney that his Apple watch and phone will show he was home all night until he left to go to work in the morning.
“We know Dale leaves the house at 3:00 and returns at 4:30 AM when Dale says he was at home all night. We know now where he was. I can’t share that, obviously. It would be damaging to the investigation. But we now know where he was,” Little said.
Little went on to say, “There is also video of Dale outside the home that night when he says he never leaves the house.”
McDonough asked Little, “That’s provable?”
Little answered, “Oh, easily provable. One hundred percent.” Little continued, “We know the statement he puts out through his attorney simply can not be true. Is not true.”
Little revealed Dale has retained a criminal defense attorney who hired a criminal defense investigator. Little reached out to the investigator by email and phone to organize interviews with Dale’s family. To date, the investigator has not responded.
Dale and Dee ran several businesses. They had a farm, sold fertilizer, and had investments. Dee had her own trucking company. “Dee was the financial brains of the operation,” Little said. “In fact, after she goes missing, Dale has to take out a $200,000 loan just to cover operating expenses.”
It seems Dee’s trucking business was keeping the other businesses afloat. “When Dee goes missing,” Little said, “her ability, her skill to run a business, to make money, that leaves with her.” Little described the businesses without Dee there to run things as, “a sinking ship.”
Little said to McDonough, “When we take these cases on, you and I, we follow every lead. And if there was a murder that happened before, we’ll find it. If there are other crimes happening or that happened, we will find it. We’re not stopping until we help Dale find Dee.”
“Our approach here,” McDonough said, “is to help him find his wife, because he’s the guy that needs to find her.” McDonough continued, “He’s not cooperating, I guess, with the investigation at this point. So, it’s kind of like, how can we help Dale find his wife because it’s been over a year, and she hasn’t come back from Jamaica or Mexico.”
Little extended an open invitation to Dale: “Dale, you tell me where she is in Mexico, I will find her. I will bring her home.” Little also invited Dale’s criminal defense investigator to come along. “Com’on, Dale,” Little said, “help us. We’re looking. We’re doing the best we can.”
Both investigators will continue search for answers. “Our goal here,” Little said, “is just to find the truth. It’s not to put a target on Dale. We just want to know what happened. The problem is, the facts we’re uncovering don’t look good.”
If you have information on the disappearance of Dee Ann Warner, please contact Detective Greca and (517) 264–5364.
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