ADRIAN, Mich. — Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the scheduled date for the hearing. The above video is from the previously scheduled date.
An evidentiary hearing in the Lenawee County District Court to determine if three brothers should be declared legally dead after they went missing from Morenci, Mich., more than a decade ago has been scheduled for the end of January.
The hearing for Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton was originally scheduled for Oct. 28 and 29 but was postponed to Dec. 11, 12, 13 and 16 at 9 a.m. "due to illness," according to court documents. It was later rescheduled to Jan. 27-29.
A Michigan judge over the summer had approved a petition from the boys' mother, Tanya Zuvers, to declare them dead and her request for a trial.
Zuvers reported her three sons — 9-year-old Andrew, 7-year-old Alexander and 5-year-old Tanner — missing on Nov. 26, 2010. Authorities say their father, John Skelton, did not return them to Zuvers.
A judge sentenced the boys' father, John Skelton, to 10-15 years in prison in 2011 after he was convicted of three counts of unlawful imprisonment, one for each son. He has been eligible for parole several times throughout his sentence, but the board has denied that application each time. His maximum sentence is set to expire on Nov. 29, 2025.