#DC-0178
Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton
Charged · allegations
last updated 9 September 2026 · 9 sources
Confirmed facts
12
Open questions
4
Charged counts
6
Last seen
25 Nov 2010
Latest step
Bound over
This case is still developing. Get an email when the file updates.
Timeline of what's confirmed12 entries
25 November 2010
Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, were last seen alive in the Morenci, Michigan, case, according to CBS Detroit.
CBS Detroit
26 November 2010
AP reported that the brothers were supposed to return to their mother the day after Thanksgiving 2010 but were gone.
AP
28 July 2011
CBS Detroit reported that John Skelton pleaded no contest in Lenawee County Circuit Court to three unlawful-imprisonment charges involving his sons.
CBS Detroit
15 September 2011
CBS News, citing CBS/WWJ/AP, reported that John Skelton was sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison on an unlawful-imprisonment charge.
CBS News
September 2017
CBS/AP reported that Michigan State Police investigated whether child remains found in Missoula, Montana, could be linked to the Skelton brothers; the report said the only current connection then was approximate age.
CBS/AP
2018
AP reported that police responded to three sets of bones found in Montana and that the lead did not pan out.
AP
3 March 2025
AP reported that Tanya Zuvers asked Lenawee County Judge Catherine Sala to declare Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton dead.
AP
5 March 2025
AP reported that Judge Catherine Sala declared the three brothers dead, while rejecting a request to find that John Skelton murdered them because the court lacked clear and convincing evidence for that finding.
AP
12 November 2025
CBS Detroit reported that John Skelton was charged with three counts of open murder and three counts of tampering with evidence; the charges are allegations and no trial verdict is reported in the trusted sources reviewed.
CBS Detroit
17 November 2025
AP reported that John Skelton made his first court appearance on the new charges and was returned to jail on a $60 million bond.
AP
24 August 2026
CBS Detroit reported that a preliminary exam began in Lenawee County 2A District Court in the case against John Skelton.
CBS Detroit
3 September 2026
CBS Detroit reported that the preliminary exam wrapped up and that a district court judge ordered John Skelton to stand trial, sending the case to circuit court after finding enough circumstantial evidence to move forward.
CBS Detroit
Open questionsunconfirmed · not conclusions
Where are Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton?unconfirmed; AP and CBS report they have never been found · unconfirmed
What will be the trial schedule in Lenawee County Circuit Court?unconfirmed; no date found in trusted reporting reviewed · unconfirmed
What evidence will prosecutors present at trial beyond what has been reported from preliminary proceedings and earlier hearings?unconfirmed; pretrial posture · unconfirmed
How and when did each boy die?unconfirmed; AP reported a legal declaration of death but no recovered remains · unconfirmed
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