Adrian, Mich. — A Michigan woman is asking a judge to declare her three missing sons dead. It’s been nearly 15 years since their father failed to return them after Thanksgiving, and the case has haunted a small town near Ohio.
While authorities suspect John Skelton is responsible for the boys’ disappearance, he has not been charged with their deaths. He is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence for not returning the boys to their mother, Tanya Zuvers. This is the only conviction so far in this tragic story.
A Lenawee County judge will hear testimony starting Monday. Witnesses will include Zuvers and police investigators who have worked tirelessly to find Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton over the years.
Since November 2010, Zuvers has held onto hope that she would learn the fate of her sons. She longs for answers or an explanation from John Skelton about what happened. Her attorney, R. Burke Castleberry, expressed her heartbreak in a recent court filing, stating, “Heartbreakingly, none of that has occurred.”
Nathan Piwowarski, a probate and estate lawyer from Cadillac, Michigan, noted that declaring someone dead can help families find closure. It may also allow family members to pursue a wrongful death claim or other civil actions. Piwowarski is not involved in this case but provided insight into the legal process.
As for Skelton, 53, he has not responded to inquiries about Zuvers’s petition from prison.
The boys, who were 9, 7, and 5 at the time of their disappearance, lived in Morenci, a small town near the Ohio border. In the fall of 2010, Zuvers was seeking a divorce from Skelton. On Thanksgiving, the boys were with their father, who lived just a few doors away. They were expected back with their mother the next day, but they never returned.
Police traced Skelton’s phone activity and found that it was in Ohio at 4:30 a.m. on the day they vanished. It was turned off and then back on in Morenci at 6 a.m. Skelton has claimed he did not harm his sons, suggesting instead that they were taken by a group for their safety, among other confusing stories.
Search teams scoured the woods and waters in both states, but no trace of the boys was found. While in prison, Skelton mentioned a man connected to the Amish community who might know where the boys were, but Castleberry dismissed that as another falsehood.
At the upcoming court hearing, investigators will share the many bizarre claims Skelton made, which led them on fruitless searches. Despite the years that have passed, the community in Morenci still remembers the Skelton brothers. A plaque honoring them stands in a local park, reflecting the community’s enduring hope.