23 hours ago
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DISAPPEARANCE:
The Skelton brothers – Alexander, Tanner and Andrew – were reported missing by their mother, Tanya Lynn Zuvers Skelton, erstwhile they didn’t amusement up astatine her location arsenic expected. The children had been with their begetter for a Thanksgiving visitation connected November 25, 2010, and were expected to beryllium returned to her custody the pursuing day.
Tanya tried to get ahold of her ex-husband, John Russell Skelton, but was incapable to scope him. This prompted her to sojourn his residence, but helium wasn’t there. Instead, helium was astatine the hospital, arsenic he’d breached his ankle portion trying to instrumentality his ain life. The enactment from the effort was recovered hanging from a stairwell banister astatine his home, on with aggregate tow straps.
INVESTIGATION:
The boys’ begetter initially told investigators he’d near them with friends, earlier changing his communicative to accidental they were successful the attraction of a pistillate he’d met online respective years before. “Joann Taylor” was expected to instrumentality them to Tanya, arsenic John had planned to instrumentality his ain beingness and didn’t privation his children to see. He said Taylor was joined to a pastor named Mark; lived successful either Jackson County oregon Hillsdale, Michigan; and drove a achromatic oregon metallic minivan.
An Amber Alert was issued for Tanner, Andrew and Alex, but constabulary were incapable to find immoderate motion of the brothers, nor Taylor, starring them to judge she ne'er existed and thing other had happened to the trio.
While hospitalized, John continued to alteration his story, claiming his sons had been fixed to an underground radical that would support them safe. He stated that, portion they were inactive alive, they wouldn’t beryllium returned arsenic agelong arsenic their parent had sole custody. He besides claimed to person had a imaginativeness of them being enactment successful a dumpster successful Ohio. While officers searched dumpsters successful the indicated area, thing was found.
John was instantly arrested upon his merchandise from infirmary and placed connected termination watch. He was subsequently charged with 3 counts of felony parental kidnapping, 3 counts of kidnapping and 3 counts of mendacious imprisonment. At a proceeding successful December 2010, helium changed his communicative erstwhile more, stating Andrew, Alex and Tanner were successful the attraction of an Amish enactment called “United Foster Outreach and Underground Sanctuaries,” which isn’t believed to exist.
Investigators learned that, successful mid-September 2010, John had withdrawn Andrew and Alex from school, nether the pretence of going connected vacation, and taken them to Florida without Tanya’s knowledge. According to schoolhouse officials, he’d besides implied that helium mightiness request their records forwarded. Tanya subsequently went to Florida and had authorities unit John, nether the menace of arrest, to instrumentality her sons.
It was soon aft that Tanya filed for the divorce, starring to a bitter custody battle. John had asked the tribunal to terrible her custody rights, fixed she was erstwhile a registered enactment offender – she’d pleaded blameworthy to misdemeanour fourth-degree transgression intersexual misconduct against a 14-year-old lad successful 1998, erstwhile she was 32. Following her sons’ disappearances, John said he’d feared his ex-wife had been abusing the children, but nary grounds could beryllium recovered to corroborate this.
In July 2011, John took a plea deal, pleading nary contention to 3 counts of mendacious imprisonment. He was sentenced to 10-15 years successful situation and is scheduled to stay incarcerated until November 2025. He has tried connected respective occasions to person parole, but has been repeatedly denied.
While speaking to section media successful 2018, John claimed he’d fixed the boys to 2 women and a antheral successful a light-coloured van, who’d planned to instrumentality them to a workplace on the Ohio-Indiana border. He besides stated investigators needed to talk with Mose Gingerich, a world tv prima and writer who could allegedly bring them back. Police tracked Gringerich down, but he’d ne'er heard of the children.
Gingerich agreed to sojourn John successful prison. Upon them meeting, the second became visibly shaken. Despite attempts to garner information, Gingerich was unsuccessful.
Investigators person been investigating Alex, Tanner and Andrew’s disappearances arsenic homicides, with John the premier suspect. Cellphone records amusement helium was successful Morenci, Michigan, connected the greeting of November 26, 2010, with State Police adding that it besides pinged successful Holiday City, Ohio, astir 25 miles from his residence. The telephone didn’t ping again for implicit 2 hours, erstwhile it showed helium was backmost successful Morenci.
John’s bluish Dodge Caravan, Michigan licence sheet 9JQ H93, was spotted connected the Ohio Turnpike, on the Michigan-Ohio border, betwixt 4:29 AM and 6:46 AM connected the greeting of November 26. On apical of this, his online hunt records showed he’d looked up however to interruption a cervix anterior to his sons going missing.
In September 2017, the remains of determination children were recovered successful a shed successful Missoula, Montana, but forensics showed they didn’t beryllium to the Skelton brothers. Three years later, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) released age-progression images of them, showing Andrew astatine 19, Alex astatine 17 and Tanner astatine 15.
Thirteen years aft they went missing, Tanya asked the Lenawee County Probate Court to state her sons legally deceased. A pretrial proceeding was held successful June 2024, with the adjacent postponed until that December. There hasn’t been an update arsenic to whether the proceeding was held and, if so, what the result was.
There’s a Facebook leafage dedicated to the case, Missing ~ Skelton Brothers, Morenci, Michigan.
Over the years, the lawsuit has been investigated by Michigan State Police, the Morenci Police Department and the FBI, with the erstwhile bureau becoming the pb investigating unit successful 2013. John’s mother, Roxann Skelton, doesn’t judge her lad had thing to bash with Alex, Tanner and Andrew’s disappearances.
DETAILS:
The Skeleton brothers went missing from Morenci, Lenawee County, Michigan, connected November 26, 2010.
Alexander William “Alex” Skelton was 7 years old, and helium was past seen wearing achromatic pyjama pants and a grey shirt. He besides wore glasses, but it’s chartless if helium had them with him astatine the clip of his disappearance. He stood astatine 3’9″, weighed 45 pounds, had abbreviated brownish hairsbreadth and brownish eyes, and 2 scars: 1 connected his chin and different adjacent his hairline.
Tanner Lucas Skelton was 5 years old, and helium was past seen wearing camouflage pyjama pants and a Scooby-Doo shirt. He was 3’6″ tall, weighed 40 pounds, and had abbreviated strawberry blond hairsbreadth and bluish eyes.
Andrew Ryan Skelton was 9 years old, and helium was past seen wearing brownish pyjamas with orangish trim. He stood astatine 4’1″, weighed 57 pounds, and had abbreviated brownish hairsbreadth and brownish eyes.
CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:
Currently, each 3 brothers are classified arsenic Endangered Missing, with foul play suspected.
Anyone with accusation regarding the lawsuit is asked to interaction the Morenci Police Department astatine (517) 458-7104. Tips tin besides beryllium called into the Lansing Post of the Michigan State Police astatine either (517) 322-1907 oregon (517) 636-0689.
Image Credit: NamUs
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