FBI agent testifies he has 'no doubt' John Skelton killed his children, cites digital traces and cell‑phone movement

FBI Special Agent Corey Burris testified at the Lenawee County Probate & Juvenile Court that digital and physical evidence gathered during the 2010 investigation led him to conclude there is "no doubt" John Skelton killed the three children who were last seen on Nov. 26, 2010.

Burris told the court investigators found multiple internet accounts created from the same IP address associated with Skelton's home, including two Yahoo accounts and a CafeMom profile under the name "Mom Forever Yung" created Nov. 6, 2010. Burris said messages from that account show someone posing as "Joanne Taylor" contacting the children's mother, identified in the record as Tanya Skelton, and that investigators concluded Skelton himself created the Joanne Taylor account. Burris said, quoting from a search‑warrant review and his forensic analysis, that Skelton's laptop contained online searches for potassium cyanide and phrasing such as "how to break a neck," which Burris said indicated a "definite interest in finding something that could harm or kill someone."

The agent described a timeline of device movement and messaging on the morning of Nov. 26, 2010: a draft message from the CafeMom account was created between about 1:10 a.m. and 1:41 a.m., then sent at 7:02 a.m.; Skelton's cell phone showed it left his residence at about 4:29 a.m., registered in Ohio near the Lazy River Campground between roughly 5:01–5:04 a.m., then returned near his home around 6:46 a.m. Burris said items belonging to the children — winter coats, toothbrushes and other personal effects — were left at relatives' homes that morning, while booster seats and the children's asthma medicine remained in the house. According to Burris, the presence of those medical items in the residence made it unlikely a truthful version of events would have left the children without their medicine.

Burris recounted a suicide note found in the home and read portions of it into the record. He testified the note addressed Tanya and included lines such as "you need to be strong now...I guess my actions today will guarantee you won't have to see me again" and, as Burris summarized, contained the explicit line "Tanya, I killed the boys." Burris also described interviews at hospitals and with family members in which Skelton gave inconsistent accounts, at times saying he could not recall leaving the house and at other times describing a dreamlike memory involving a fictional "Joanne Taylor." Burris said Skelton told investigators to search a particular dumpster next to a hotel in Holiday City, Ohio; the FBI traced the dumpster's pickup and searched the associated landfill and received negative results.

The agent told the court that the initial on‑scene response involved a small group of investigators that quickly grew to dozens, and that searches over subsequent days included local law enforcement, fire departments, volunteers, cadaver dogs, surface and water searches (he identified the Toledo Fire Rescue as assisting on water searches), and geographically targeted searches based on cell‑tower information and investigative leads. Burris said the FBI later transitioned case management responsibilities in‑state to the Michigan State Police and retained responsibility for out‑of‑state tips.

Asked whether the assembled evidence suggested the children were deceased, Burris replied, "Absolutely," and later stated, "I have no doubt in my mind." He told the court he reached that conclusion within the first 72 hours of the investigation based on the totality of the digital forensic results, witness interviews and physical evidence at the residence.

The court recessed for lunch following Burris's testimony; proceedings were scheduled to resume at 1:30 p.m.