Family of missing Lenawee Co. woman speaks

TIPTON, Mich. (WTVG) - Missing Lenawee County woman, Dee Ann Warner, was last seen in April. She was 52-years-old at the time of her disappearance. Since then, her family has stayed out of the public eye, looking desperately for any clue into Warner’s whereabouts. But on Saturday evening, her brother, Gregg Hardy, spoke out for the first time.

Hardy describes Warner as full of personality.

“A bit of a social butterfly. Tried to be friends with everybody She wanted to know everybody. Wanted to know everything about everybody,” he says.

Hardy also uses the past tense when he talks about his sister, who has been missing since April 25.

“I honestly don’t believe my sister’s alive. It’s painful to say that but I believe it’s true,” he says.

Over the last months, the FBI, Michigan State Police, and other law enforcement agencies have used sonar, dogs, and helicopters over hundred of acres of farmland looking for the missing woman.

Hardy says despite these efforts, law enforcement has been tight-lipped about the investigation, leaving him with lots of questions about what happened the night his sister disappeared.

On Saturday night, Hardy hosted a vigil for his sister. Well-wishers flooded the family’s farm, where Hardy broke his silence for the first time.

“I have failed to speak out before because I didn’t want to interfere with the investigation, but I think it’s important to clarify a few things,” says Hardy.

He believes that rumors of his sister running off in the middle of the night have impeded the investigation.

“It is my opinion that valuable time was lost while authorities pursued the unlikely story that Dee left without any car, without any note for her family saying goodbye, which would not be her character at all,” says Hardy.

Family members tell 13abc that Warner was in a fight with her husband the night she disappeared. A little before 8:00, a friend came over to pick up the couple’s daughter so they could work out their issues. Then around 11:00, all communication stopped.

“Now we’d at least like to have her remains and have some closure for the family,” says Hardy.

13abc called Warner’s husband business for comment. No one answered.

The family is asking anyone with information to turn tips into law enforcement. No tip is too small. If you have information, call Detective Greca with the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office at 517-264-5364.

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