MORENCI, Mich. – The disappearance of the Skelton brothers has haunted the small town of Morenci, Michigan, for more than a decade.
It has been 14 years since Tanner, 5, Alexander, 7, and Andrew, 9, were last seen with their father John Skelton at his Morenci home.
Their father had spent time with the boys for the Thanksgiving holiday during an ongoing divorce and custody battle with their mother, Tanya Zuvers. He was supposed to return them to their mother on Black Friday, Nov. 26, 2010.
Police said John Skelton’s phone could be tracked leaving his Morenci home and traveling 25 miles southwest into Holiday City, Ohio. Then he returned to Morenci. The boys haven’t been seen since.
When he didn’t return the boys, and Zuvers couldn’t get a clear answer from him about where they were, she became worried. She contacted the police and an Amber Alert was issued.
It’s been 14 years since that day, and the boys’ whereabouts are still unknown. Zuvers has filed a petition in Lenawee County Probate Court requesting that the court declare her sons legally dead.
“This decision came after much thought and discussion with my family and friends. It did not come lightly and was definitely a difficult decision to make. No parent wants to lose a child, but to have to have the courts step in and declare them deceased is just unfathomable,” Zuvers said in a family statement shared on social media. ”At the end of the day, one person is responsible for the disappearance of my sons. That person, at one point, claimed the boys would hibernate until they graduate. As of today, June 14, 2024, all 3 boys are over 18, and all would have graduated high school, yet they have not been returned to me and are still missing.”
The court has scheduled hearings for Dec. 11-13 and Dec. 16, 2024, to consider the petitions.
Family Statement In December 2023, three petitions were filed in Lenawee County Probate Court regarding my sons;...
Posted by Missing ~ Skelton Brothers, Morenci, Michigan on Friday, June 14, 2024
Father says he gave Skelton brothers away to protect them
John Skelton said he gave the boys away to an underground group to protect them from their mother. He alleged that Zuvers had abused the boys, she denies that allegation.
Tanya Zuvers was charged with fourth-degree criminal misconduct in the late 1990s for having sex with a 14-year-old boy. John Skelton said she was abusing her own sons, but she said that is not true.
“That has all been investigated,” Zuvers said. “My stuff was gone through. My children come first. Always have, always will. My dream job was to be a mom, and it is the greatest job in the world. But to say that I abused my sons, (that) kills me.”
Local 4 spoke with Brewer in 2020, who said John Skelton was holding back key information in the case.
“This is not a case of everyone hates John Skelton,” said Det. Lt. Jeremy Brewer. “We just want to find these boys.”
John Skelton in prison, parole denied
On Sept. 15, 2011, John Skelton pleaded no contest to three counts of unlawful imprisonment. He was sentenced to 10-15 years in prison.
John Skelton was denied parole in 2020 and 2022. This summer he was reviewed for parole and the board found him to still be a risk to the community. His parole was denied and he will serve his entire sentence, meaning he will remain in prison until Nov. 29, 2025.
John Skelton is being held in the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan.
Father claims he gave boys to Amish group
John Skelton has claimed to have given the boys to “a group” and he has mentioned the Amish as being that group.
The Amish live all over Michigan and in Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania. While Amish people don’t use electricity or cars, they do stay informed.
Local 4 visited an Amish bakery in Camden, Michigan. An Amish woman there said she reads the newspaper every day so she’s aware of current events. When Local 4 spoke to her she was 20 years old and remembered when the Skelton brothers vanished.
“I just remember it was in the paper every day,” she said. “Yeah, I remember that.”
She said she wasn’t familiar with the claim that John Skelton left the boys with the Amish, but she said if someone brought children there the Amish would take them in.
“I’d think they would call the police or someone,” the Amish woman said. “They would. It’s not like they would hide them.”
She said the Amish communities stay in touch with each other and if the boys turned up, everyone would know.
Shattered: Black Friday is a 10-episode podcast investigating the disappearance of the Skelton Brothers from their home in Morenci, Mich. on Nov. 26, 2010. The podcast debuted on Feb. 2, 2018. You can listen to every episode for free by clicking here.