In a long-standing case that has captivated and saddened a small-town community, a judge in Lenawee County, Michigan, declared three brothers deceased, more than 14 years after they vanished, in what is deemed an unsolved tragedy. The unfortunate incident involves Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton, who disappeared over Thanksgiving in 2010, an event that remains a mystery. Although authorities have long suspected their father in connection with their disappearance, no murder charges have been brought against him.
Lenawee County Judge Catherine Sala adhered to a request submitted by Tanya Zuvers, the mother of the three boys, asking the court to legally declare their deaths. “The community of Lenawee has been deeply impacted by this tragic and enduring case. Words of sympathy will never suffice for such profound losses,” emphasized Judge Sala.
However, during the proceedings, the judge chose not to extend the declaration to include a formal acknowledgment of murder by their father, John Skelton, citing insufficient “clear and convincing evidence.” Sala remarked, “The information presented leaves room for speculation and various theories. To conclude otherwise would mean aligning with speculative voices due to the absence of concrete evidence.”
The boys are officially presumed dead as of November 26, 2015, which marks five years post-disappearance, a critical legal milestone in Michigan. Despite the substantial suspicion, John Skelton, aged 53, has not faced murder charges. Presently serving a 15-year sentence for not returning the boys to their mother, Skelton is expected to complete his sentence by November.
Tanya Zuvers expressed during her testimony that this official declaration could bring her a sense of closure and honor to her missing children, who were 9, 7, and 5 at the time of their disappearance. The boys were last with their father in Morenci, a township on the Ohio border, after the family underwent various disputes and the parents were living separately. The boys were supposed to reunite with their mother, but they vanished instead.
Despite exhaustive searches of remote areas and waters in Michigan and Ohio, and numerous tips from across the country, the brothers remain missing. Police claimed Skelton continuously misled them regarding his sons’ whereabouts, giving false directions to locations such as a schoolhouse in Kunkle, Ohio, and a dumpster in Holiday City, Ohio, as well as making unsubstantiated claims about handing them over for their safety.
Detective Lieutenant Jeremy Brewer of the Michigan State Police, who took over the investigation three years later, affirmed without hesitation his belief that Skelton is responsible for the boys’ deaths. Skelton, however, opted not to engage in the court proceedings concerning his sons’ legal status and stated via video conference from prison, “Anything I say isn’t going to make a difference.”
In correcting previous information, it is clarified that the brothers are presumed dead as of November 26, 2015, five years after their disappearance, rather than immediately in 2010.
