(WXYZ) — John Skelton, the father who was charged with murder of his three sons who went missing in Lenawee County in 2010, will be in court on Monday as the preliminary hearing begins.
Skelton was charged with murder in November 2025, nearly 15 years after the three brothers — Andrew, Alexander and Tanner — went missing.
The preliminary hearing is expected to take several days, and during the hearing, a judge will determine if there is enough evidence for Skelton to stand trial.
Earlier this year, a judge ruled that the three were legally dead. It came after a request from the boys' mother, Tana Zuvers. Their death date was set as Nov. 26, 2010.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report on the charges being filed below:
“This is a case of terrible and longstanding impact on the community of Lenawee,” Lenawee County Judge Catherine Sala said. “No condolences will ever be enough for such loss suffered.”
Skelton was set to be released from prison last November, just before he was charged with murder, after serving 15 years for his failure to return the boys to Zuvers.
Skelton and Zuvers were having problems and living apart in Morenci. The boys were supposed to go back to their mom the next day. Instead, they were gone.
They have not been found, despite countless searches of woods and water in Michigan and Ohio and tips from across the country.
Watch below: John Skelton appears at hearing to declare 3 sons dead
Police said Skelton fed them a long string of lies about the boys' whereabouts, sending investigators to an old schoolhouse in Kunkle, Ohio, and a dumpster in Holiday City, Ohio.
Police said claims that the boys were handed to other people for their safety also turned out to be false.
He also declined to participate in the hearing, saying, "Anything I say isn’t going to make a difference."
