LENAWEE COUNTY, Mich. - A Lenawee County man accused of killing his three sons is back in court on Thursday for the seventh day of his preliminary examination, as prosecutors work to convince a judge there is enough evidence to send the case to trial.

John Skelton's three sons - Andrew, Alexander and Tanner - disappeared over Thanksgiving weekend in 2010. Their bodies have never been found.

Skelton previously served time related to their disappearance, but prosecutors filed murder charges just days before his release from prison.


Background

Roughly two weeks before Skelton was scheduled to be released from the Michigan Department of Corrections - and almost exactly 15 years since the boys were last seen - he was charged with three counts of open murder and three counts of tampering with evidence in the case.

The upgraded charges came after the boys' mother, Tanya Zuvers, filed a 2023 petition in Lenawee County requesting that the court declare her sons legally dead and declare that Skelton was responsible for their murder.

A judge approved the request in March 2025, prompting the following statement from the family:

 Our priority has always been - and continues to be - finding out what happened to Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner and seeking justice for them,  the statement read in part.  We ask that the investigation be allowed to proceed thoroughly and without interference so that the truth may finally come to light. 

---> Full documentary: The story of the missing Skelton brothers

What we know about the case

The three boys were 9, 7 and 5 years old when they disappeared from Lenawee County in November 2010. The boys were last seen with their father.

To this day, the Skelton brothers have never been found, and their whereabouts remain unknown.

Tanner Skelton (L); Alexander Skelton (Center); Andrew Skelton (R) (NamUs)

John Skelton had spent time with the boys over the Thanksgiving holiday amid a divorce and custody dispu

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