ADRIAN, Mich. – The father of the missing Skelton brothers, charged with their murder 15 years after they went missing, appeared in court on Monday for a preliminary examination in the case.
John Skelton was convicted in 2010 of unlawful imprisonment and sentenced to 10-15 years in prison in connection to the disappearance of his three sons — Andrew (age 9), Alexander (age 7), and Tanner (age 5) — whose bodies have never been found.
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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.”
During the preliminary examination on Monday, prosecutors must convince the judge that there’s enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial.
Defense will be able to cross-examine those who testify and debate the validity of what’s presented.
If convicted, Skelton could spend the rest of his life in jail.
---> 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.
John Skelton had spent time with the boys over the Thanksgiving holiday amid a divorce and custody dispute with their mother, Tanya Zuvers.
He was supposed to return them to their mother on Black Friday, Nov. 26, 2010.
Police said they tracked John Skelton’s phone leaving his Morenci home and traveling about 25 miles southwest into Ohio before returning to Morenci.
When he failed to return the boys and did not provide clear information about their whereabouts, Zuvers called the police.
Federal and state law enforcement agencies have carried out massive searches across Michigan and Ohio.
For more than a decade, there have been more questions than answers in the disappearance of the three Skelton brothers.
John Skelton claimed he gave the boys to an underground group to protect them from their mother, alleging abuse by Zuvers, who denies the claims. Over the years, Skelton’s story has changed, sometimes mentioning the Amish as the group, but no such group has been identified or come forward.
A judge declared the boys dead in March of this year, but stated there wasn’t enough evidence to prove they were murdered at the time.
Police said they believed Skelton was holding back information.
Anyone with information about the case or the boys’ whereabouts is asked to call Michigan State Police at 1-517-636-0689 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.