A preliminary examination in the murder case against John Skelton, accused of killing his three sons more than a decade ago, has been adjourned for a second time and rescheduled for Aug. 24.
Testimony was originally expected to begin May 11 in Lenawee County’s 2A District Court, a date set following arraignment in December 2025. The hearing was later moved to July, then August.
The adjournment delays the next step in a case that prosecutors revived nearly 15 years after the disappearance of Skelton’s sons — Tanner, Alexander and Andrew — around Thanksgiving Day 2010.
Skelton, 53, was charged in November 2025 with three counts of open murder and three counts of tampering with evidence, just weeks before his scheduled release from prison following a lengthy sentence for unlawful imprisonment in connection with his sons’ disappearance.
The brothers — then ages 5, 7 and 9 — were last seen in their father’s care during a visit for Thanksgiving. Despite extensive searches across Michigan and Ohio, their remains have never been found. They were legally declared dead in March 2025. The case remains active.
During a preliminary examination, prosecutors are expected to present witnesses and evidence to establish probable cause. If a judge determines that the threshold has been reached, the case will proceed to Lenawee County Circuit Court.
Skelton remains lodged in the Lenawee County Jail.
What happened to Tanner, Alexander and Andrew Skelton?
Tanner, Alexander and Andrew were last seen at their father’s home in Morenci around Thanksgiving Day 2010. Their mother, Tanya Zuvers, had sole custody but allowed the boys to spend the holiday with their father.
Skelton has long claimed, in varying accounts, that he gave the boys to an underground organization to protect them from alleged abuse. Those stories have never been substantiated.
— Contact reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @cmurrayhdn.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Court hearing delayed in case of man accused of killing his three sons
Reporting by Corey J. Murray, The Daily Telegram / The Detroit News
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