Instead he was sentenced to ten to fifteen years in prison, a term that exceeds the state sentencing guidelines. John is serving a 15-year prison sentence for unlawful imprisonment, having told investigators that he delivered the boys to an underground sanctuary. John claimed to have given the boys to an underground group to keep them safe from her, who he claimed was abusive to the boys. For the latest true crime and justice news,subscribe to the Crime Stories with Nancy Grace podcast. Police said they believed the boys were in "grave danger." Johns story about the underground group and the mother hurting the child wasnt verified. Anyone with information on this case to contact Morenci Police at (517) 458-7104. The father-of-three has since claimed he gave his sons to a group of child-protective activists to shield them from their mother, who he alleged was abusive. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. The search was on for the Skelton brothers, and the entire community was galvanized. 10 years later, the Skelton brothers are still missing. "Are they crying for me?". 
John also has one adult daughter and Tanya has two daughters from their previous marriages. John Skelton was up for parole in September. 
If it could be cut, itd been cut.. Zuvers had sole custody of her sons but she allowed her estranged husband to have them for the holiday. Read More: Dad accused of kidnapping sons who vanished in 2010 DENIED parole. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. John is living his days at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Iona, Michigan. Buy This Image. Tanya Zuvers says hate is a strong word, but she says she hates John Skelton. But the heartbroken mother has slowly accepted that her sons are likely gone forever. "When you see three boys that were all very close, from a close-knit community, and that the last person that ever saw them was their own father, and seven years later we still don't have them, I mean, that story is pretty tragic," Brewer said. 
CBS News: Free 24/7 News Special Report While still receiving treatment in the hospital, John Skelton was arrested and charged with 3 counts unlawful imprisonment of his sons. Police said it's a possible new development in the case of the missing Skelton brothers -- Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5 --who disappeared in2010. The slogan for 10 years is Keeping hope alive 10 years later.. 
Police were hyperfocused on that timeframe, as they believe that is when he killed his sons or dumped their bodies. The judge refused to do so. He completely destroyed the inside of his house, said Tanya. She said she didn't remember that John Skelton claimed to have given his sons to the Amish. Last updated November 25, 2020; age-progression updated. The focus was getting the word out to find the boys, hopefully alive.. ", Zuvers also had this message for her sons:"Andrew, Alexander and Tanner if you can hear me, know that I love you from here to the moon and back. Police said the remains were initially taken to an anthropologist at the University of Montana. They said they believed John's story about Joann Taylor was fictitious and something else caused the Skelton children's disappearances. Two months before Andrew, Alexander and Tanner vanished, while Tanya and John were still married and living together, Tanya got an exasperated call from the boys elementary school saying that John had just taken them out of school for a trip to Florida, telling them he didnt know when theyd be back. In response to her divorce filing, John had asked the court to sever her parental rights based on her sex offender status. All the while, in the hospital under a psych hold, John Skelton was changing his story. The children had been visiting John on a regular basis with no reported problems. But she said if someone brought children there, the Amish community would take them in. The disappearance of Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton broke the hearts of an entire Michigan community, and more than a decade after they went missing their fate remains unknown. Your source for Local information & breaking news across southeast Michigan plus 4Warn Weather providing you with accurate forecasts so you can plan your day. Thompsons book, 76 Minutes, focuses on a timeline he believes Skelton had the boys between when they left home and he returned without them. I believe that its not just John who has the answers -- could find it in themselves to come forward.. Donations are accepted but not expected; the site remains free-access to all. I know realistically they may not come home alive, but I will always have that hope, she told The Detroit News in February. It turned back on at 6:45 am back at his house in Morenci., You can get on and off the Ohio turnpike from there, said Tanya. The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. How do you prepare for something like that?. Zuvers filed for divorce on September 13, 2010, the same day John Skelton allegedly signed Alexander and Andrew out of school and took them to Jacksonville, Florida. Zuvers has repeatedly denied abusing her sons. Ive lived in [Morenci] my whole life and the boys were well-known, said Tanya. "That has all been investigated," Zuverssaid. Tanya and John married in 2002, and the family was active with United Methodist Church in Morenci. Records indicate Zuvers had pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for having sex with a 14-year-old boy in 1998. Despite this, the father eventually returned his sons to Michigan and was having visitation without complications. And that might be the end of his time behind bars: Its a very different feeling. I just wish answers could be given. This didnt stop the search for the boys but it started the legal proceedings that would end up handing down a 10-15 year prison sentence for John Skelton. He said he did this because he planned to commit suicide and didn't want the boys to see it.
The anthropologist determined the remains were modern bones belonging to three children who were 2 to 10 years old at the time of death. MORENCI, Mich. The investigation into the Skelton boys disappearance continues with age-progression photos of Andrew, Alexander and Tanner. An Amber Alert was issued, and the FBI came to town as massive searches spanning down through Ohio began. More than a decade later, John Skelton has not identified the organization he says has Alexander, Tanner, and Andrew and nobody has come forward claiming to have the boys. "They would. Tanya has serious reservations about letting the boys spend time with their father as he has run off to Florida with them in the past. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Eight years after three young brothers went missing from their Morenci, Michigan, hometown, questions still loom about their disappearance. An Ohio newspaper reporter who has covered the case since it began has now released a book where he outlines what he alleges are gaps in the investigation and pinpoints an area where he believes the boys bodies may be found. At the time, the boys father and mother, John Skelton and Tanya Zuvers, were in the midst of a contentious divorce. John attempted to hang himself later that day, but survived and was hospitalized, first at a general hospital and then at a psychiatric facility in Ohio. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports. WebBE ON THE LOOKOUT: Tanya Zuvers, the mother of the Skelton brothers received new progression photos of what her sons may look like today. Tanya Skelton, who now goes by Tanya Zuvers, was charged with fourth-degree criminal misconduct in the late 1990s for having sex with a 14-year-old boy. Grow up! He stated Joann was married to a pastor named Mark, drove a white or silver minivan and lived in either Hillsdale, Michigan or Jackson County, Michigan. He has maintained his innocence though he has changed his story multiple times over the years. Much of the speculation around where Andrew, Alexander and Tanner could have gone focuses on Amish country and whether their father, John Skelton, left them there. Skelton claims he gave the children to an "underground organization." Quit hiding behind your lies. Life is not all about John Skelton. At the time, the boys father and mother, John Skelton and Tanya Zuvers, were in the midst of a contentious divorce. Be a man. Lt. Jeremy Brewer. The Parole Board has considered and. Missing Skelton boys: Have you seen this blue minivan? We just want to find these boys.. Anyone with information about the case or the boys whereabouts is asked to call Michigan State Police at 1-517-636-0689 or the NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST. When Zuvers couldnt get straight answers from John on where the boys were, she got worried. On the morning of Friday, Nov. 26, 2010, Tayna Zuvers was waiting to pick up her three sons, Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton from their father, John Skelton. WebTanya Zuvers is here to talk about her three missing sons, the Skelton boys, 7 years after their disappearance. Around 4:30 a.m. [the morning of Nov.26] the phone started tracking from Morenci, going southwest into Ohio, explained Detective Lieutenant Jeremy Brewer with the Michigan State Police. 1:10. 'This never gets easier': Mother of Skelton boys speaks out on 10 year anniversary, age-progression photos of Andrew, Alexander and Tanner. He was being treated for a broken ankle, telling hospital staff he sustained it after attempting suicide by hanging, falling from a rope around the second-floor banniester at his home earlier that day. The Skelton boys' father claimed to have given them to "a group." "My stuff was gone through. She wrote a book on her search for the boys titled "76 Minutes." I believe that John killed them.. Expect More from Local 4 News at 5. Because the prisoner in question was John Skelton, Tanyas ex-husband and father of her three boys: Alexander, Andrew, and Tanner Skelton. At one point, John Skelton told police he handed off his sons to a woman named Joann Taylor. Amish people don't use electricity or cars, and they live by old standards. When asked if police had presented her with evidence her children were harmed,Zuvers declined to answer, saying only she believes the children are alive. The boys' mother, Tanya Zuvers, frequently updates her Facebook page dedicated to finding them. To Tanya, her family, and police, it became clear that something awful had transpired while under Johns care, they needed to find the boys fast. The boys mother, Tanya Zuvers, told Toledo 13ABC, I have, for several years now, I guess, accepted the fact that my boys probably are not alive. "Yeah, I remember that.". To the thousands of people who help search, pray and hold out hope along with her she said, "Words can not express how thankful I am for you. He has never been charged with murder. Pursuant to your request under the Crime Victim Rights Act, this letter is to notify you that the Michigan Parole Board has made a decision in this case, the letter read. They would know they were the missing boys from Morenci. This is not a case of everyone hates John Skelton, said Det. He was eventually extradited to Michigan and charged with three counts of felony parental kidnapping, three counts of kidnapping and three counts of false imprisonment. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. A note written on a poster at the ceremony displays love for the missing boys. For the better part of a decade, there have been more questions than answers in the disappearance of the three Skelton brothers. Knocking on Johns door would begin a nightmare that has yet to end for Tanya and her family. Tanya has serious reservations about letting the boys spend time with their father as he has run off to Florida with them in the past. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts. The police believe no such group exists. He will be up for parole again in two years. John Skelton is currently sitting in a jail cell at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan, on an unlawful imprisonment charge. When Tanya Zuvers thinks of her children and what shes missed, it breaks her heart. All rights reserved. John Skelton, 10-years-later, is still the only one who knows what happened to the boys. Tanya Skelton, who now goes by Tanya Zuvers, was charged with fourth-degree criminal misconduct in the late 1990s for having sex with a 14-year-old boy. Has all been investigated, '' Zuverssaid themselves to come forward Andrew, Alexander and Tanner children 's.. 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