John Skelton waives circuit court arraignment, murder charges set for pretrial

A Southeast Michigan man accused of murder in the deaths of his three young boys has waived a felony arraignment and the case is set for pretrial in Lenawee County 39th Circuit Court. 

John Skelton will next appear in court on Oct. 14, according to court officials in Adrian. 

The case against him was transferred to circuit court for trial after a preliminary exam wrapped up Sept. 3 in Lenawee County 2A District Court. At that time, the district court judge determined there was enough circumstantial evidence to move the case to the next step. 

Skelton was charged Nov. 12 with three counts of open murder and three counts of tampering with evidence. Those charges were filed about two weeks before his expected release from prison on earlier charges stemming from the investigation of the whereabouts of his children. The Michigan State Police led the investigation. 

The boys — Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5 — were last seen alive on Nov. 25, 2010. None of them have been found, despite repeated searches in Michigan and Ohio, and attempts to match them up to human remains found in Montana in 2017 and remains found in Tennessee in 2026.  

The Skelton boys were legally declared dead in March 2025, upon the request of their mother, Tanya Zuvers.

The above video originally aired on Sept. 3, 2026.