(ADRIAN) - A preliminary examination for a Lenawee County man charged in the deaths of his three sons has been delayed for a second time.
Fifty-three-year-old John Skelton was originally scheduled to appear Monday in Lenawee County's 2A District Court. The hearing was first moved to July and has now been rescheduled for August 24th.
Skelton was charged in November 2025 with three counts of open murder and three counts of tampering with evidence.
The charges were filed shortly before Skelton was set to complete a prison sentence for unlawful imprisonment connected to the disappearance of his sons.
Tanner, Alexander, and Andrew Skelton were 5, 7, and 9 years old when they disappeared from Morenci during the Thanksgiving holiday in 2010 while visiting their father.
The boys' mother, Tanya Zuvers, had sole custody but allowed the children to spend the holiday with Skelton.
Investigators conducted searches for years across Michigan and Ohio, but the boys have never been found. A court declared them legally dead in March 2025.
During a preliminary examination, prosecutors present evidence and witness testimony in an effort to establish probable cause for the case to move to Lenawee County Circuit Court.
Skelton remains lodged in the Lenawee County Jail.