Files filed requesting that the three missing Skelton brothers be declared dead

MORENCI, Mich. (FOX 2) – It's been almost 14 years since the three Skelton brothers, Andrew, Alexander and Tanner, were last seen.

No one knows exactly what happened to Morenci's brothers, only that they haven't been seen since Thanksgiving 2010.

Their father, John Skelton, may have the answer, but he doesn't speak. He is serving a prison sentence for the illegal imprisonment of his sons.
His sentence is set to expire in November next year.

Today, the boys' mother, Tanya Zuvers, asked the court to declare them legally dead.

Three separate petitions, one for each boy, were filed in the Lenawee County Probate Court in December 2023. Next week, the pretrial phase of the trial is scheduled to begin, with the final trial scheduled for July.
Michigan law only requires next of kin to wait five years after a person's disappearance for the person to be declared legally dead.

What happened to the Skelton brothers?

The boys – Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, spent the holidays with their father John Skelton in Morenci, Michigan in 2010. Their mother, Tanya Zuvers, was supposed to pick them up from her ex- husband the next day.

However, she didn't hear from John Skelton again, so she went to his house. He wasn't home because he was in the hospital after breaking his ankle. He told hospital staff he injured his ankle while attempting suicide, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Police were able to enter his home, where they found the house destroyed, but the boys were not there.

John Skelton is accused of changing the story of where they were while he was in the hospital. He said they were with friends before telling investigators the boys had been left in the care of an unknown woman. He also told police that he had handed them over to an underground group that would ensure their safety.

Phone records helped police locate John Skelton the day after his boys were last seen. He was in Morenci early on Nov. 26, 2010. According to Michigan State Police, he traveled to Ohio. His phone contacted him in Ohio, about 20 miles from his home, was turned off, then returned him to Morenci about 2 hours and 15 minutes after he left Michigan.

Search parties have searched for the boys, but they have not been found, and John Skelton has not told anyone where they really are or if they are still alive, aside from his stories of giving them away to strangers.

Why is John Skelton in prison?

John Skelton is currently in prison at Bellamy Creek Correctional Center in Ionia, Michigan.

He has not been charged in connection with his sons' disappearance. However, he was sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for illegal imprisonment.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Thanksgiving Day 2010 was not the first time John Skelton took the Zuvers boys.

John Skelton was accused of removing the boys from school two months before they disappeared. He reportedly said he was taking them on a trip to Florida, where his parents live.

John Skelton and Zuvers divorced after this, and Zuvers gained custody of the boys, just before their disappearance.