John Skelton’s preliminary hearing resumed for a fifth day on Monday as prosecutors continued presenting evidence over the alleged killings of his three sons, who disappeared in Michigan nearly 16 years ago.
A Michigan State Police cold-case investigator gave evidence in the Lenawee County proceedings, while another police officer was called to testify. The hearing is intended to establish whether there is sufficient evidence for the murder case to proceed to trial, rather than determine Skelton’s guilt.
Live updates from the hearing also covered a forced entry at the Skelton family home and an unsuccessful search of emails linked to the name “Joanne”, a figure connected to Skelton’s account that the boys had been handed to an underground organisation.
The court heard further discussion of the investigation, including an exchange described in updates as: “You’re the youngest Skelton now.” The significance of the remark was not immediately clear from the live coverage.
Skelton is charged with three counts of open murder and three counts of tampering with evidence in connection with the disappearance of Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton. The boys were aged nine, seven and five when they vanished from Morenci over the Thanksgiving holiday in November 2010. ([fox2detroit.com](https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/john-skelton-murder-case-preliminary-hearing-enters-day-five.amp))
Their bodies have never been found. A judge declared the brothers legally dead in March 2025, but said at the time there was insufficient evidence in that proceeding to establish that their father had killed them. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/b8fe7b2683f90004158f6324bd3b8b3b?utm_source=openai))
Skelton, who previously served a 10-to-15-year prison sentence after pleading no contest to unlawful imprisonment charges relating to the boys, was charged with murder shortly before he was due to be released in November 2025. He denies harming his sons and has previously claimed they were taken by members of an organisation he called the “Underground Sanctuary”. ([wilx.com](https://www.wilx.com/2026/08/27/testimony-continues-skelton-murder-case/?utm_source=openai))
Testimony is expected to continue in the Lenawee County case, with the judge to decide later whether the prosecution has shown probable cause for a trial.
