Michigan crime: Big cases to watch in 2026
(From left to right) Jalen Pendergrass, John Skelton, Kelli Bryant, Charla Pendergrass, Floyd Galloway, Jarivs Butts, De'Andre Booker
(FOX 2) - As the year comes to a close, some of Metro Detroit's biggest - and most disturbing - cases remain open, and are continuing to make their way through the court system.
Here's a look at the cases FOX 2 will be following closely in 2026:
Children found abandoned in filthy home
The backstory:
After not hearing from tenant Kelli Bryant for around two months, a landlord called for a welfare check at a Pontiac home in February. When Oakland County Sheriff's deputies arrived, they found three children, ages 15, 13, and 12, living alone in the condo.
According to the sheriff's office, the home was full of trash, human waste, and mold, and the toilet was overflowing when authorities arrived.
Bryant, 34, would drop off food for the children but allegedly did not live in the home.
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Three kids live alone in Pontiac home for years, found living in severe filth; mom arrested
Three children were living in filth and squalor for years, sleeping on pizza boxes and unable to even flush a toilet, the Oakland County Sheriff said.
The charges:
Bryant was charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse.
Kelli Bryant
She was also charged with wire fraud for allegedly collecting money from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for her children — money that did not go to their care, officials said.
What's next:
Bryant pleaded no contest to welfare fraud, but has not entered a plea for the child abuse charges.
She is due back in court on Jan. 28, 2026, to be sentenced in the welfare fraud case, and has a pretrial hearing for the child abuse case scheduled for the same day.
Child abuse charges for Pontiac mom accused of abandoning 3 kids for years
The Oakland County Prosuecotr's office authorized charges on Wednesday against a Pontiac mom who they said abandoned her kids for more than 4 years in squalor.
Danielle Stislicki disappearance
The backstory:
More than nine years after Danielle Stislicki disappeared from her Farmington Hills job, the man accused of killing her will stand trial.
Stislicki was last seen leaving work in December 2016, and her body has never been located. A former security guard at her job, Floyd Galloway Jr., was considered a person of interest early in the investigation, and eventually charged with murder in 2019.
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Danielle Stislicki murder: Judge sets Floyd Galloway Jr.'s trial for next year with new motions expected
Floyd Galloway Jr., the man charged with murder in connection with Danielle Stislicki's death, appeared in court Wednesday for a pre-trial, almost nine years after the Farmington Hills woman disappeared.
Dig deeper:
Galloway is currently in prison for an unrelated crime — an attempted rape of a jogger at Hines Park in Wayne County in September 2016.
He was sentenced to 16–35 years in prison after entering a plea to charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, criminal sexual conduct, and kidnapping. The earliest he could be released is 2033.
What's next:
Galloway's trial has been delayed numerous times as the defense contested evidence in the case.
As of now, he's scheduled to stand trial in early 2026, with a starting date of Feb. 2, 2026 currently scheduled in Oakland County Circuit Court.
Man charged with Danielle Stislicki's murder heading to trial
A judge bound over Floyd Galloway Jr. on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder on Tuesday, after a preliminary hearing that lasted a day and a half. Fifteen witnesses were called, including Danielle's loved ones and coworkers, and dozens of pieces of evidence were shown.�
Skelton brothers disappearance
The backstory:
John Skelton, the father of three Michigan boys who disappeared 15 years ago, is now facing murder charges.
His sons, Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, spent Thanksgiving with him in Morenci, Mich. in 2010. Their mother, Tanya Zuvers, was supposed to pick them up from John Skelton, who is her ex-husband, the next day.
Police were able to get into his home, where they found the house destroyed, but the boys weren't there.
Fifteen years later, the boys still haven't been found, but a judge declared them dead earlier in 2025.
Charges against John:
After the boys disappeared, John Skelton was convicted of unlawful imprisonment and sentenced to 10-15 years in prison. He was set to be released in November 2025, but just weeks from his prison discharge date, he was charged with three counts of open murder and tampering with evidence.
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John Skelton, father of missing Skelton brothers, charged with murder
John Skelton, the father of three Michigan boys who disappeared from Morenci in 2010 and were never found, has been charged with murder.
What's next:
John Skelton is being held in the Lenawee County Jail on a $60 million bond.
He is due back in court on May 11, 2026, for a preliminary examination.
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.
Na'Ziyah Harris murder
The backstory:
Na'Ziyah Harris, 13, was reported missing in January 2024 after she was last seen getting off a bus in Detroit.
Her body has never been found, but Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said there was enough evidence to charge a suspect. That suspect is Jarvis Butts, a man accused of grooming Harris for years before she disappeared.
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Missing Na’Ziyah Harris: Man charged with murder, sexual assault of Detroit teen
More than nine months after Na'Ziyah Harris disappeared from Detroit, a suspect is facing charges for sexually assaulting and murdering the girl.
According to the prosecutor's office, Butts searched for abortions, abortion pills, and drinking red anti-freeze before Harris's death.
Dig deeper:
The Harris case isn't Butts' first run in with the law. Court records show that he previously served time in prison for sexually assaulting a child in 2004.
In addition to that previous conviction, he is facing charges stemming from several other alleged sexual assaults of children dating back years.
What's next:
Butts has a pre-trial scheduled for Jan. 23, 2026.
Horrific details revealed during Jarvis Butts arraignment
The defendant stood mute during the hearing, waiving the formal reading of the charges while in court. Already serving time for a separate conviction, his defense attorney did not object to prosecutor's request that he remain in custody. He is facing various criminal sexual conduct charges from three separate cases.
Ashley Elkins murder
The backstory:
On Jan. 2, 2025, Ashley Elkins, 30, was reported missing after she didn't return home from errands.
Her ex-boyfriend, De'Andre Booker, was arrested a few days later and charged with first-degree murder and lying to a peace officer. According to authorities, Elkins' vehicle was found a few miles away from Booker's apartment. He allegedly lied about his whereabouts.
Suspect's search history:
The prosecutor who appeared in court for Booker's arraignment said his internet searches after Elkins disappeared suggest that he was planning to flee Michigan.
While in Flint, Booker is accused of planning to leave Michigan by looking up routes out of state.
His research also included what to do while on the run, as well as how to beat a polygraph test, and if blood is traceable, the prosecution said.
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Missing Ashley Elkins: Preliminary exam dates set amid 'enormous amount of discovery'
The judge said there was an "enormous amount of discovery" in the case, which is why a preliminary exam had yet to happen.
Additionally, he allegedly looked up how to delete his Google search history.
DoorDash records from Booker were found to have ordered Hefty 30 gallon garbage bags, 43 ounces of bleach and latex gloves, delivered at 11:46 p.m. on the last day Elkins was seen.
What's next:
Booker is due in court for a hearing on Jan. 7, 2026.
New details in the missing Ashley Elkins case revealed
Police and family both provided testimony about the murder case of a missing Warren mother who disappeared at the beginning of the year.
London Thomas murder
The backstory:
London Thomas, 17, was visiting with her boyfriend Jalen Pendergrass in Inkster on April 5, the last day she was seen alive.
Three weeks later, her body was found in Southfield, leading to the arrest of her boyfriend's mother, Charla Pendergrass, 49, after she allegedly lied to investigators about seeing Thomas leaving the home alive, which was not true, authorities said.
Charla Pendergrass was charged with lying to a peace officer, but the charges were dismissed because the person she allegedly lied to was a federal agent. According to the prosecution, a federal agent does not meet the definition of a "peace officer" under Michigan statute, so the case could not proceed.
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London Thomas' boyfriend, his mother charged with teen's murder
Two people, including the teen's boyfriend, are facing murder charges stemming from the death of London Thomas. The Detroit teen was last seen alive in Inkster before her body was found in Southfield.
Murder charges:
Though the lying charge was dropped, Charla Pendergrass was arrested months later and charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Jalen Pendergrass was also arrested and faces the same charges.
According to a press release from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, evidence allegedly shows that Jalen and Charla Pendergrass killed Thomas. Kym Worthy said that a friend of Charla Pendergrass called police and provided this information.
That friend said that on April 6, Charla Pendergrass called him and asked him to help transport a sealed plastic bin with unknown contents. The friend told police that he agreed, and moved the bin to a home on Millard Street in Southfield and put the bin in an SUV on April 11. Weeks later, that same bin, which contained Thomas' body, was found in an SUV at the Southfield house, the prosecutor said.
What's next:
Both Charla and Jalen are scheduled to appear in court for preliminary examinations on Jan. 23, 2026.
London Thomas' boyfriend, mother arraigned on murder charges
London Thomas' boyfriend, Jalen Pendergrass, faced a judge for the first time Friday after he was arrested and charged in connection with the teen's murder. His mother, Charla Pendergrass, also was in court, but this is her second time being charged in connection with the case.
The Source: Previous reporting and court records were used in this story.