John Skelton murder case: Preliminary hearing enters day five
FOX 2 - A preliminary hearing for John Skelton, the father of three young boys who disappeared in Morenci, Mich. around Thanksgiving in 2010, continues this morning for the fifth day.
A preliminary hearing is underway to determine if he'll stand trial for their deaths. The daily hearings start at about 10:30 a.m. daily. FOX 2 will have live coverage in the live player above.
The brothers disappeared in Morenci, a small town near the Ohio border about 100 miles southwest of Detroit.
The resolved case has unsettled the tight-knit community for more than 15 years.
Here’s what to know about the case:
Missing Skelton brothers
Big picture view:
John Skelton’s three sons disappeared while with their father during Thanksgiving in 2010. The boys’ ages at the time were:
- Andrew, 9
- Alexander, 7
- Tanner, 5
Skelton pretrial Day 4 recap
John Skelton's ex-wife describes defendant's drinking
Michelle Lamphere was married to John Skelton before he met his second-wife. She described multiple experiences where he would get belligerently drunk and end up hospitalized or threatening.
John Skelton's first ex-wife Michelle Lamphere testified Thursday and described several experiences where he became belligerently drunk and ended up in the hospital.
One time was during his bachelor party when he ended up at Walter Reed Medical Center. Another time was during a party where he pulled out a loaded shotgun.
One instance, when Lamphere was younger, she said Skelton brought home a large pipe wrench and became angry — eventually putting a hole in the wall "next to my head."
She said in another case, he killed their 8-month-old labrador dog after an accident where Lamphere was knocked off the porch and sprained her ankle. He then took the dog to the woods and shot the dog.
A former FBI agent, Christopher Hess, testified, talking about his cellular analysis of Skelton's phone. He said he identified different locations the phone traveled including a campground in Morenci.
Skelton prison interview
Skelton murder cast: Investigator reads chat log
An investigating officer read a chat log between two usernames—"eqcildaam" (sender) and "cat" (recipient) that took place on Nov. 18, 2010. In the log, "eqcildaam" expresses frustration about his marital troubles but that "it will all end this weekend."
An investigating officer also testified and was questioned about a Nov. 3, 2025, prison interview with Skelton.
The officer testified that Skelton claimed he handed his sons over to members of an "Underground Sanctuary" group (Joann and Virgil) around midnight on Thanksgiving into Friday, Nov. 26, 2010. Skelton admitted that after they left, "I burnt everything" because he intended to kill himself and didn’t want the boys’ mother, Tanya Zuver, to find the kids.
The officer testified that Skelton made a new admission in that interview of leaving town. Skelton claimed he felt immediate regret and drove to Holiday City, Ohio, around 6:00–6:30 a.m. to find the group in a restaurant parking lot.
Skelton pretrial Day 3 recap
Big picture view:
The prosecution called several family members of the defendant on Wednesday, including multiple cousins and aunts.
One cousin remembers Skelton saying he "lost my boys," and another cousin found a duffle bag with boys' winter coats and toothbrushes on his front porch in the middle of the night after Thanksgiving.
One aunt said Skelton brought her a USB drive and a camcorder on that Black Friday, and told her not to give it to anyone without a warrant. She said she never looked at what was there, and eventually turned it over as evidence. Another aunt testified that Skelton confided about marriage troubles a week before Thanksgiving, and stormed off after saying he's "take matters into his own hands" after being advised to call the authorities.
Day 2 recap
Wild Claims Made:
Testimony concluded Tuesday with video from 2011 of law enforcement and an FBI investigator interviewing John Skelton to establish a timeline of events and to get details about what happened to his missing children.
Throughout the conversation, which lasted nearly two hours, investigators pointed out inconsistencies in his claims, noted that all digital and email records trace back exclusively to his own laptop, and attempted to dismantle his story about handing the boys over to a third party.
Skelton claimed he gave his three sons to an organization or underground network, repeatedly referencing an individual named "Joanne Taylor." This was done in an effort to protect them from their mother, he said.
He claimed he was instructed to broadcast specific secret codes and keywords, such as "Traverse City," "Goldilocks," "bears," or "magic beans", via press conferences, media outlets, or family members to signal the group to return or safely pass along messages to the boys.
He denied harming the children and maintained that they were alive and handed off safely, though he admitted he had no direct way to contact the individuals who took them.
Other Testimony:
The Skelton family pastor detailed an ominous phone call she and Zuber received from John Skelton inside the police station, and how he was speaking to the pastor "on a spiritual level, not on a physical level."
A former co-worker of John Skelton testified about a strange comment that he once heard from him, about how Skelton thought you "could bury a body" in an area of land where the coworker was going hunting.
Day 1 recap
John Skelton case hearing: Boys not returned on Black Friday
Tanya Zuver, the ex-wife of the defendant and mother of the three Skelton boys, testified first at John Skelton’s pretrial. She details the day after Thanksgiving in 2010, when she had trouble locating Skelton and the boys before an AMBER Alert was issued.
The ex-wife of John Skelton opened testimony on Monday, detailing her relationship with him and how their marriage unraveled.
Tanya Zuver said that he had taken the boys out of school and driven them to Florida before, breaking her trust.
Skelton wanted to move to Florida for job opportunities but Zuver, a convicted sex offender, did not want to leave the state and uproot the children.
Zuver met with a lawyer to begin the divorce process, which Skelton caught wind of, which accelerated the collapse of the marriage. She later had custody during the breakup.
The last time she saw the boys was Thankgiving 2010, which she agreed to share the boys for.
She testified she made it clear to Skelton in that conversation that their marriage was over and she did not want to work on reconciling any longer.
On Black Friday Zuver was supposed to pick them up but found the house empty, later learning that Skelton said he was at the hospital with a broken ankle.
Police investigation
John Skelton letter to Tanya Zuver
Tanya Zuver, the ex-wife of the defendant and mother of the three Skelton boys, testified first at John Skelton’s pretrial. She read a letter found in the home that Skelton had written to her.
During questioning by Skelton’s defense attorney, Zuver said she’s met with police dozens of times over the years.
She testified that police told her they believed the boys had been murdered, and that they shared the opinion that Skelton had committed that crime.
She testified she remembers it being 2-3 weeks after the boys’ disappearance that police changed it to a murder investigation.
Pastor Donna Galloway from the Methodist Church in Morenci that the Skeltons sometimes attended, took the stand.
Galloway was in touch with Skelton on Black Friday while he said he was in the hospital, and said she was confused as to who Skelton said he had left the boys with because he couldn’t give the woman’s last name or her phone number.
Galloway testified that Skelton kept saying the boys were "safe" and would use the word "home" repeatedly.
During one of their conversations, Galloway testified that Skelton said, "Pastor Donna, you of all people should understand what I mean when I saw that they’re home."
"I knew at that point. When he said, you of all people should know what I mean when I say I sent him home, I knew that they were dead," Galloway said.
Skelton pastor: "I knew that they were dead"
The Skeltons’ pastor at the time, Donna Galloway, testified at John Skelton’s pretrial Monday. She detailed conversations she had with him while he was in the hospital and the boys were missing, and says he kept saying the boys were "safe" and was using the word "home."
The backstory:
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.
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.
John Skelton charged with murder
Last November, Skelton was charged with murdering each of his three sons. The charges he’s facing include:
- Three counts of murder
- Three counts of tampering with criminal evidence
READ MORE: John Skelton, father of missing Skelton brothers, charged with murder
The backstory:
Many investigators had said and testified they believed Skelton was responsible for the boys’ disappearance, but charges relating to their death had yet to happen.
Incriminating evidence
During the Lenawee County trial to declare the boys dead legally, disturbing evidence surfaced.
The FBI submitted a three-page suicide note from John Skelton to Zuvers.
It included: "I guess my actions today guarantee you won't have to see me again or in heaven. I pray God will forgive me, but I know it won't happen. May you find peace in the days to come. You will hate me forever, and I know this."
John Skelton's laptop searches included the questions "Can rat poison kill a person?" and "Is it odorless and tasteless?"
What's next:
Skelton’s preliminary hearing continues Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026 in Lenawee County.
This court proceeding, which is expected to last several days, will determine if the charges can move forward.
FOX 2 will provide coverage of the hearing.
Where is Morenci?
Morenci is the southernmost city in the state of Michigan, 75 miles southwest of Detroit.
Located in Lenawee County, the southern border of the city runs along the state line with Ohio.