John Skelton prelim day two: What to know 15 years after sons’ disappearance

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.

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.

The brothers disappeared in Morenci, a small town near the Ohio border about 100 miles southwest of Detroit, and the unsolved case has unsettled the community for more than 15 years.

Here’s what to know before 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

Day 1 recap of Skelton prelim

John Skelton case hearing: Thanksgiving Day and custody plans

Tanya Zuver, the ex-wife of the defendant and mother of the three Skelton boys, testified first at John Skelton’s pretrial. She details Thanksgiving in 2010, the last day she remembers hearing her boys on the phone.

The boys' mother testifies:

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.

That night Zuver had a conversation with the defendant after he "blew up her phone" all day while she was with her family. 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.

She testified that she wished she could have had that conversation when she was with the boys because she didn’t trust Skelton since he had taken off with the boys before.

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

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.

What they're saying:

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."

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.

Dig deeper:

John Skelton

Since their disappearance that holiday, the case has remained unsolved.

The boys have never been found, despite searches in Michigan and Ohio and tips from across the country.

In March of 2025, a judge declared the three brothers dead at the request of their mother, Tanya Zuvers.

John Skelton previous case

Big picture view:

Skelton has already been sentenced to 15 years for his failure to return the boys to Zuvers the day after Thanksgiving in 2010 – the only conviction in the case so far.

The same month Skelton was due to be released he was charged with murder.

Previous to this, Lenawee County Judge Catherine Sala ruled that although the boys were dead, she said there was not enough evidence to prove that John Skelton killed them.

He has been eligible for parole since 2020, but the parole board denied his requests for release.

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.

(From left to right): Tanner, Andrew, and Tanner

Zuvers was supposed to pick the boys up from Skelton, her ex-husband, the day after Thanksgiving.

However, she stopped hearing from him, 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 kill himself.

Police were able to get into his home, which they said was destroyed and the boys weren't there.

Skelton was 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.

John Skelton charged with murder

What's new::

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

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?"

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.

What's next:

Skelton’s preliminary hearing continues Tuesday, Aug. 25, 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.