Michigan mother asks judge to declare 3 missing sons dead nearly 15 years later
Share and Follow

ADRIAN, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan woman is asking a judge to declare her three missing sons dead, nearly 15 years after their father didn’t return them after Thanksgiving. The disappearance has tormented a small town near Ohio and remains unsolved.

Authorities believe the brothers are deceased and they clearly suspect John Skelton is responsible, though he has not been charged with killing his sons. By November, he is expected to complete a 15-year prison sentence for his failure to give the boys back to Tanya Zuvers, the sole conviction in the saga.

This photo provided by Michigan Department of Corrections shows John Skelton. (Michigan Department of Corrections via AP)

A Lenawee County judge will begin hearing testimony Monday at an unusual hearing. The witness list includes Zuvers, as well as police investigators who will publicly discuss the yearslong effort to find any trace of Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton.

Since November 2010, Zuvers has prayed someone “would cure her broken heart” with news about their whereabouts or that John Skelton would explain what really happened, attorney R. Burke Castleberry said in a court filing.

“Heartbreakingly, none of that has occurred,” he wrote.

Nathan Piwowarski, a lawyer in Cadillac, Michigan, who specializes in probate and estate law, said there can be many reasons to have someone declared dead, including “personal closure for the family.”

A court declaration also could “give someone authority to pursue a wrongful death claim or other civil claim,” said Piwowarski, who is not involved in the case.

Castleberry declined to comment ahead of the hearing. Skelton, 53, did not respond to an email sent to him in prison about the petition filed by Zuvers.

The brothers, ages 9, 7 and 5, lived in Morenci, a small community next to the Ohio border, 100 miles (161 kilometers) southwest of Detroit. Zuvers was seeking a divorce from Skelton in fall 2010 and the boys were with him, a few doors away, on Thanksgiving.

They were supposed to return to Zuvers the next morning. Instead, they were gone. Police later determined Skelton’s phone was in Ohio at 4:30 a.m. before it was turned off and then turned back on at 6 a.m. in Morenci.

Skelton denied harming his sons and said they were with an underground group for their safety, among other murky explanations, according to investigators.

People spent weeks searching woods and waters in Michigan and Ohio. While in prison, Skelton told authorities that a man who helps people leave Amish communities might know about the boys, but Castleberry said it was “another lie.”

FILE – Volunteers and rescuers search for 9-year-old Andrew, 7-year-old Alexander and 5-year-old Tanner Skelton in Morenci, Mich. on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010. (David Coates/Detroit News via AP, File)

Investigators at the court hearing “will detail the farfetched, unfathomable yarns John Skelton spun, leading authorities on one wild goose chase after another,” Castleberry said.

Years have passed, but people in Morenci have not forgotten the Skelton brothers. A plaque with their names and images is attached to a rock at a park near Bean Creek. It says, “Faith, Hope, Love.”

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Experience the Vibrant Festivities of Champaign County’s Freedom Celebration

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — For yet another year, it was all about…

Augusta Canal is open for kayaking in time for the holiday weekend

AUGUSTA, Ga () – The Augusta Canal is back open just in…

The United States finishes sending 8 men back to South Sudan after facing legal challenges for weeks.

WASHINGTON – Eight men deported from the United States in May and…

The Villages Health company faces criticism for receiving excessive Medicare payments and takes legal action by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

THE VILLAGES, Fla. – A major health care group that caters to…

At least 27 people are dead in Texas floods as the search continues for the many missing

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Rescuers scoured flooded riverbanks littered with mangled trees…

Tropical Storm Chantal gets stronger as it approaches South Carolina for landfall

MIAMI – Tropical Storm Chantal grew in strength as it approached the…

Two people injured in shooting at Orange County apartment complex, leading to the arrival of a significant number of sheriff’s deputies

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man and a woman were found shot…

Woman passes away after getting out of a moving SUV and causing a crash in Flagler County, according to troopers

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A Palm Coast woman was killed in a…