Fifteen years after Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton vanished over Thanksgiving weekend, their father is now formally charged with their murders. John Skelton, 53, was arraigned Monday on three counts of open murder and three counts of tampering with evidence. A Lenawee County judge set his bond at an unprecedented $60 million, and Skelton remains held at the county jail.
These charges were filed less than two weeks before Skelton’s scheduled release from the Michigan Department of Corrections, where he has served a full sentence for unlawful imprisonment after refusing to return the boys to their mother, Tanya Zuvers, in November 2010. State police say Skelton continues to obstruct the case, and his latest interview, conducted on November 3, produced no new information. Investigators say his story has shifted repeatedly for 15 years.
According to a newly released affidavit, officers found Skelton’s home in complete disarray on the day the boys were reported missing after what he claimed was a suicide attempt. Digital records show that within a week of the boys’ disappearance, he searched online for “different ways to kill a person.” Police also tracked his phone traveling from his home in Morenci into rural Ohio before returning, a trip that has never been fully explained.
Skelton has long insisted he handed the boys over to a group he called the “Underground Sanctuary,” claiming it existed to protect children. Investigators say they have exhaustively searched for any evidence such a group exists, and found nothing. Over the years, Skelton suggested various versions of this story, including ties to the Amish, but none have held up.
The boys, ages 9, 7, and 5, were last seen playing outside on Thanksgiving afternoon. When Skelton failed to return them to their mother the next day, a massive multi-agency search began, stretching across Michigan and Ohio. Hundreds of volunteers joined the effort, but no trace of the children was ever found. A judge declared the boys legally dead in March of this year.
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for November 24, followed by a preliminary examination on December 1. If convicted, Skelton faces life in prison. Anyone with information is urged to contact Michigan State Police at 517-636-0689 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.
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