Michigan man charged with murder in 2010 disappearance of his 3 sons
[November 14, 2025]
By ED WHITE
DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan man long blamed for the disappearance of his
three sons at Thanksgiving in 2010 has been charged with their deaths,
court records show.
John Skelton is facing three counts of murder and tampering with
evidence in the deaths of 9-year-old Andrew, 7-year-old Alexander and
5-year-old Tanner Skelton, according to Lenawee County District Court
records. They have never been found.
The charges, filed Wednesday, came just days before Skelton, 53, was due
to be released from prison after a 15-year sentence for failing to
return the boys to their mother, the only conviction in the saga so far.
A message seeking comment from the prosecutor's office was not
immediately returned.
“This development marks a significant moment in a long and painful
journey,” the boys' mother, Tanya Zuvers, said in a statement. “While I
understand the public interest in this case, I ask that my family’s
privacy be respected as we process this news and continue to grieve the
loss of Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner.”
Zuvers praised police and prosecutors who have “worked tirelessly over
the years to seek justice for my sons.”
The brothers disappeared while with their father at Thanksgiving in
Morenci, a small town near the Ohio border, 100 miles (160 kilometers)
southwest of Detroit.
Skelton and Zuvers, who were married at the time, were having problems
and living apart in Morenci in November 2010. The boys were supposed to
return to her the day after the holiday. Instead, they were gone.
The brothers have not been found, despite countless searches of woods
and water in Michigan and Ohio and tips from across the country.
[to top of second column]
|
This plaque honors the missing Skelton brothers in the municipal
park on the banks of Bean Creek in Morenci, Mich., on Jan. 27, 2017.
(Dale G. Young/Detroit News via AP, file)
Police said Skelton fed them a long string of lies about the boys’
whereabouts, sending investigators to an old schoolhouse in Kunkle,
Ohio, and a dumpster in Holiday City, Ohio. Police said claims that
the boys were handed to other people for their safety also turned
out to be false.
A lead investigator, Michigan State Police Detective Lt. Jeremy
Brewer, said in March that he had “no doubt whatsoever” that Skelton
killed the brothers. He was testifying at a hearing to declare the
boys legally dead.
Skelton declined to participate in that court hearing, telling a
judge by videoconference from prison: “Anything I say isn’t going to
make a difference."
When investigators entered Skelton's home after the boys'
disappearance, they found a mess, with broken glass, severed
appliance cords and a noose hanging from the second floor. A Bible
was open with a verse circled.
A note apparently left for Zuvers said, “You will hate me forever
and I know this,” FBI agent Corey Burras testified.
“That was his passive admission to killing the children,” Burras
said.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
