LENAWEE COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - John Skelton, the father of three Michigan boys who were declared dead after they disappeared 15 years ago, appeared in court for a probable cause conference.
The brief hearing included setting a date for a preliminary exam for Skelton.
He'll be back in court on May 11 for the hearing, where more evidence is expected to be presented by prosecutors.
The backstory:
John Skelton's sons, Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, spent Thanksgiving with their father in Morenci, Mich. in 2010. Their mother, Tanya Zuvers, was supposed to pick them up from her ex-husband the next day.
However, she stopped hearing from John Skelton, so she went to his house. He wasn't home because he was at a hospital after he broke his ankle. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, he told hospital workers that he injured his ankle while trying to commit suicide.
Police were able to get into his home, where they found the house destroyed, but the boys weren't there.
John Skelton is accused of changing the story of where they were while he was at the hospital. He said they were with friends before telling investigators that the boys were given to an unknown woman. He also told police that he gave them to an underground group that would keep them safe.
Phone records helped police place John Skelton the day after his boys were last seen. He had been in Morenci early Nov. 26, 2010. According to Michigan State Police, he went to Ohio. His phone pinged him in Ohio about 20 miles from his home, was shut off, then pinged him back in Morenci about 2 hours and fifteen minutes after he left Michigan.
Search parties looked for the boys, but they haven't been found, and John Skelton hasn't told anyone where they actually are or if they are even still alive, aside from his stories of giving them to unknown people.
According to Zuvers, John Skelton previously "claimed that the boys would hibernate until they graduate." All three boys are now old enough that they would have graduated from high school.
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Homicide charges filed against father of missing Skelton brothers
Three counts of open murder and tampering with evidence were filed against John Skelton on Wednesday in Lenawee County, according to court records. The charges come just weeks before he was set to be released from prison for unlawful imprisonment of his sons, Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner.
Dig deeper:
Up until November 2025, John Skelton was never charged in connection with the disappearance of his sons. However, he was sentenced to 10-15 years in prison for unlawful imprisonment after pleading no contest to the charges.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Thanksgiving Day 2010 wasn't the first time John Skelton took the boys from Zuvers.
John Skelton was accused of taking the boys out of school two months before their disappearance. It is alleged that he said he was taking them on a trip to Florida, where his parents live.
John Skelton and Zuvers divorced after this, and Zuvers was granted custody of the boys, just before they disappeared.
Boys declared dead:
Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner were declared dead by a judge earlier this year after Zuvers requested such a decision. In Michigan, a person is typically considered to be dead after they have been missing for five years.
Missing Skelton brothers declared dead by Michigan judge
The Skelton brothers have been declared dead by a Michigan judge, 14 years after they disappeared.
Murder charges:
Just weeks before John Skelton was set to be released from prison for the unlawful imprisonment convictions, he was charged with three counts of open murder and tampering with evidence.
He now remains in the Lenawee County Jail on a $60 million bond.
The Source: Previous reporting and court records were used in this story.
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