3 boys missing after father's suicide attempt

Alexander (7) Andrew (9) Tanner (5)

Sky News

Police searching for the boys, from a small town in Ohio called Morenci, say they may be in "grave danger".

They have been named as nine-year-old Andrew Skelton, seven-year-old Alexander Skelton and Tanner Skelton, aged five.

Their father, John Skelton, told detectives he left them last Friday with a woman he had met on the internet, but they have not been able to trace her.

The 39-year-old, who is being treated in hospital for "mental health issues", said he did not want his sons at home when he took his life.

To spare them the pain of his suicide he asked a woman named Joann Taylor to take them to their mother, from whom he is separated.

Morenci police chief Larry Weeks said his men had not even been able to confirm if Taylor exists.

Skelton told officers he met her several years ago and that they had been involved in an online relationship.

He believed she lived in Jackson or Hillsdale counties in southern Michigan.

So far, despite exhaustive searches, police have failed to locate the mystery woman or the silver van Skelton said she was driving.

Well, this doesn't sound good, does it. Poor boys.

Bebootje wrote:Well, this doesn't sound good, does it. Poor boys.

It does not sound good at all, and most of the comments on Sky News are saying that.

For the first time in months, an organized search is underway today for three missing Morenci brothers.

Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton – ages 9, 7 and 5, respectively – have been missing since late November, when they were last seen in the custody of their father, John Skelton, who is accused in their disappearance.

After the boys went missing, hundreds of people – both police or fire officials and civilians – took to fields, roads and woods to search for the boys. Police have said they are treating the case as a homicide investigation.

Today, Shiawassee Search and Rescue, a volunteer group, is leading the effort, which is doubling as a training exercise. Other law enforcement officials, including Morenci police, are also participating in the search, but there are no civilian volunteers.

Beginning early this morning, searchers scoured an old gravel pit, Riverside Park and Bean Creek in the Morenci area. As the heat rises, volunteers battled thorny bushes, Poison Ivy and swarms of mosquitoes as they trudged through thick wooded areas off of trails and waded into shallow waters.

They are looking for depressions in the earth or areas in ravines that look like they have been eroded. They are also looking for any potential signs of the boys, including remains, pieces of clothing or other fabric.

The search is expected to last until about 7 p.m. today.

John Skelton has said his sons are with members of an underground sanctuary group, but maintains he doesn’t know where they are.

He is facing kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment charges.

http://www.freep.com/article/20110709/NEWS06/110709003/Search-effort-3-missing-Morenci-boys-continues-extra-aid?odyssey=nav|head

Gary Dee, thanks for the update.

Searchers find items likely tied to Skelton kidnapping
Lab in Lansing to analyze objects

MORENCI, Mich. — Law enforcement officials aren’t giving specifics, but they say a routine training session Saturday may have turned up items tied to the case of three missing brothers.

Morenci was the site chosen by the Shiawassee County Search and Rescue team to carry out its routine training Saturday, a decision made in large part because searchers could sweep the area for any evidence connected to the case of the three Skelton brothers — Alexander, Andrew, and Tanner — who were 9, 7, and 5, respectively, when they were last seen, at Thanksgiving.

Morenci fire and police departments teamed up with Shiawassee County for the sweep, along with several volunteers from around the area.

Michigan State Trooper Andrew Coohon said items were found during the sweep by the search and rescue team, but he cautioned it is too early to tell if they are related to the case.

“The items found were all at one specific location,” Trooper Coohon said. “The items found will not be released until further testing to determine that they are related to the case.”

At this point, Trooper Coohon said, the items have been locked away in a secure location and will be sent to a crime lab in Lansing for more analysis.

He would not give specifics on what type of items may have been found.

“The amount of time it takes just depends on the DNA analysis,” he said. “However, major cases like these are expedited.”

The prime suspect in the boys’ disappearance is their father, John Skelton, who has said the boys are alive and are being held by a sanctuary group.

He is being held in the Lenawee County jail in lieu of $30 million bond, awaiting trial on charges of kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment.

— Payton Willey

http://www.toledoblade.com/Police-Fire/2011/07/10/Searchers-find-items-likely...

Father of 3 boys says sons safe, but he feels guilty
12:43 AM, Jul. 4, 2011

The boys are gone.

He doesn't want their mother to have custody.

And he can't get his sons back from the people harboring them until he's out of jail.

That is John Skelton's account.

But police say they believe he is guilty of murder.

Skelton of Morenci sits in the Lenawee County Jail, awaiting trial on charges of kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment in the disappearance of his three sons.

In a series of interviews with the Free Press at the jail, Skelton maintained that the boys, missing since late November, are in the custody of members of an underground sanctuary group.

Skelton said they intervened and took Andrew, 9; Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, before he could make that decision. He said he feels guilty "that I let these people come into my life."

Still, Skelton insists he does not know where his boys are and won't until he is released. But he faces up to life in prison if convicted of kidnapping.

Police say Skelton is just telling a variation of a tale authorities have already heard.

Many questions in the case linger.

One rises to the top: Where are they?

Father of 3 missing Morenci boys tells his story

The details of his story may change, but the theme remains constant: Andrew, Alexander and Tanner are safe.

John Skelton insists that he wouldn't hurt his sons, who disappeared in late November.

But the father says he doesn't know where the boys are and only has the first names of the people who took them.

Skelton, who has said he does not want the boys in the custody of their mother, maintains that his sons are being harbored by members of an organization.

Police say they believe Skelton killed his sons and are treating the case as a homicide investigation, but Skelton has not been charged with murder. He is awaiting trial on kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment charges.

In a series of interviews from the Lenawee County Jail, Skelton told his story to the Free Press.

He disputed details of the case, some released by authorities.

Police said he attempted suicide after the boys went missing. He said he didn't.

A noose reported to be found in Skelton's home was for an apparatus he was building, he said.

Police searched for the boys in Williams County, Ohio, because information from Skelton's cell phone led them there, they said. Police have said they cannot account for his whereabouts between the afternoon of Nov. 25 and 1:30 p.m. Nov. 26 -- around the time the boys disappeared.

Skelton said he wasn't in Ohio.

"I just want to say I wasn't there, my phone was," he said. "That morning when I woke up, it was back."

He also insists he didn't give his sons, ages 9, 7 and 5, to the organization -- members of the group intervened and took them.

A call to work together

Skelton's accounts to the Free Press are variations of a story authorities have heard, Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said. If Skelton wants his sons returned safely, he needs to work with police, Weeks said.

"If he has a desire to talk, we're certainly here," Weeks said. "We want to find those boys desperately."

Hundreds of people searched for the boys after they disappeared.

On Saturday, a volunteer search and rescue group from Shiawassee County will lead another effort to look for them as part of a training exercise, Weeks said. They will be joined by other volunteer search and rescue groups and public safety officials, but no civilian volunteers.

Skelton said he does not know where his boys are and will not know until he is released. He is facing up to life in prison if convicted of kidnapping.

So what if he never gets out?

"Then," Skelton said, "nobody will see them again."

Fond memories

While he's sitting in his jail cell, Skelton thinks about his boys, he said.

He said he was in truck-driving school when Andrew was born, but made it to the hospital in time to cut his umbilical cord and give him his first bath.

"Actually, it was almost like a dream in itself," Skelton said. "It was wonderful."

He said he nearly missed Tanner's birth when he took a smoke break.

The boys, Skelton remembers, always wanted him to tickle them, especially Alexander.

"I think I've been an excellent father," he said. "I was an excellent husband."

Troubled times

By the time of the boys' disappearance in November, financial troubles plagued John and Tanya Skelton, and their relationship had soured.

They were losing their home and John Skelton wasn't working.

About two months earlier, he had taken two of their sons to Florida without permission, and his wife, Tanya, filed for divorce. It became official last month. Her pastor, Donna Galloway, said Tanya changed her name back to Zuvers after the divorce.

Skelton said he became depressed when she moved to end the marriage -- just as he had been after the marriage to his first wife failed.

In interviews, Skelton has accused his ex-wife of abusing their children and said he went to Morenci police to report her in September.

But police said no such report was ever made, and Zuvers has not been accused by authorities of any wrongdoing in this case.

Weeks said he had a conversation with Skelton about his ex-wife, but not about any alleged assaults. He declined to elaborate.

Zuvers did not want to comment for this article, but said in an earlier interview that Skelton wanted her to stop the divorce.

"I told him that at this point, I couldn't do that," she said. "There was something broken."

Disturbing words

Skelton left a cryptic message on his Facebook page before anyone knew the boys had vanished:

"I love my wife very much," it read. "May God and Tanya forgive me."

Jack Levin, a professor and co-director of the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict at Northeastern University in Boston, said there are several catastrophic blows in cases where a father kills his family: loss of a job, a failed marriage, a custody battle for his children.

A father, Levin said, may decide to commit suicide and believe he needs to protect his children by taking them, too.

"If a husband, father feels the need to control," he said, "if he sees himself as the breadwinner and as the alpha parent, then he may decide to take matters into his own hands and determine the fate of his own children."

Conflicting information

Skelton said he began talking to members of a group called United Foster Outreach, part of an organization named Underground Sanctuaries, weeks before his boys were taken.

He mentioned a couple named Sue and Elijah from either Hillsdale or Jackson. Skelton said he doesn't know their last name.

"Just for the reasons of security," he said.

In one interview, he said he met them at a truck stop. In another, he said a woman introduced them. Skelton said her name is Judy -- a woman he acknowledged he originally referred to as Joann Taylor. Police have said Joann Taylor does not exist.

He said Sue and Elijah spoke to him and his boys, but he was still exploring his options and hadn't made a decision.

Skelton said those people intervened and took his sons before he could make up his mind.

"I believe that they implemented their program because I wasn't doing my job," he said. "I was letting them go back to Tanya."

Skelton's account doesn't sit right with Faye Yager, who, for years, was involved in an underground network that hid abused children. She said she's been involved in thousands of cases, but is now running an inn in North Carolina and has become less involved on the front end.

She told the Free Press that if the children are with a group, there would likely be a contact person, and networks wouldn't take children without a guardian's involvement. Any such group, Yager said, would also likely require medical records or court documents to support an abuse claim.

"I'm telling you that no network that I worked with or know of would do such a thing," she said. "There's something wrong there. ... I'd be very worried about the children."

Some supporters

Skelton said he's a Christian -- born again as a teen -- and has faith that his children are safe.

He isn't the only one. Skelton's parents and sister have stood by him, saying they, too, believe the boys are safe.

But Skelton vows to stay in prison until he dies rather than let his sons go back to his ex-wife. In a meeting after the couple's final divorce hearing, Skelton expressed contempt for his ex, but denied harboring anger toward her.

"She can take those divorce papers and she can go to the park and push them around; she can push them on a swing," he said, later admitting he regretted the statement. "That's as close as I ever want her to get to these kids again."

Skelton said he prays every day and wishes people wouldn't believe he harmed his sons.

"I know I'm going to heaven," he said. "Let's just put it that way."

http://www.freep.com/article/20110704/NEWS06/107040328/Father-3-boys-says-son...

Mother gets sole custody of 3 children still missing
Judge issues ruling in Skelton divorce

ADRIAN -- John Skelton, whose three sons have been missing since Thanksgiving weekend, denied Tuesday during his divorce trial that he had any role in the boys' disappearance.

"As far as the children are concerned, I didn't take the kids," Mr. Skelton, acting as his own attorney in the civil case, told Judge Margaret Noe when asked why he desired joint custody of Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner.

Judge Noe rejected arguments from the father that he should share in the parenting of the missing boys, and instead ruled that the boys' mother, Tanya, will have "sole legal and physical custody" if the boys are found alive.

"It is in the best interest of the three minor children to be in the sole legal and sole physical custody of their mother," Judge Noe, of Lenawee County Circuit Court, said as she made her ruling from the bench. "It is hoped they will be returned quickly and safely."

Mr. Skelton, 39, is charged with three counts each of kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment. An arraignment for the defendant that was scheduled Wednesday on the unlawful imprisonment charges, which carry sentences of life in prison, was canceled after he waived his appearance in court.

He is being held in the county jail in lieu of a $30 million bond.

Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner, who were 9, 7, and 5 years old, respectively, when they disappeared, were last seen in the backyard of their father's home in Morenci on Thanksgiving Day.

Mrs. Skelton reported to police that her sons were missing after her ex-husband failed to return them, igniting an extensive search involving local, state, and federal investigators as well as hundreds of volunteers who combed fields and lakes in Michigan and Ohio.

John Skelton ASSOCIATED PRESS Enlarge
The issue of joint custody of the boys sent the divorce complaint Mrs. Skelton filed Sept. 13 into Tuesday's proceedings after Mr. Skelton backed out of a signed agreement he had made with David McFarland, Mrs. Skelton's attorney.

Mrs. Skelton took the witness stand to answer questions, first from her own attorney, and then from Mr. Skelton. She avoided eye contact with her estranged husband when he asked her questions. She looked and talked directly to Judge Noe.

When Mr. Skelton asked if she believed the boys are safe, she replied: "No. Because they are not with their legal parent," and when asked by Mr. Skelton if she believes he knows the boys' location she said "Yes."

Mrs. Skelton left the courtroom immediately after the trial.

Her mother, Beverly Zuvers, said she was pleased with the ruling ending the marriage and giving custody to her daughter.

"I feel that it is was very positive. For the children and Tanya this is a good thing. We are thankful that she got the legal custody," she said outside the courtroom.

Mr. Skelton has given different accounts of what happened to his sons. In December, he told Judge Noe during a contempt hearing in the divorce case that he had given the boys to a person from an unnamed "organization" who came to his house.

The inconsistencies in his statements were among the reasons given by Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks in concluding that investigators no longer believe the boys are alive and their father is a prime suspect in their deaths.

-- Mark Reiter

http://www.toledoblade.com/Courts/2011/06/08/Mother-gets-sole-custody-of-3-ch...

Hearing waived for Morenci father of 3 missing boys
Associated Press
Adrian— A Morenci man whose three young sons have been missing since Thanksgiving has waived a preliminary examination in the case.
The hearing for John Skelton on kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment charges had been scheduled for Friday in Lenawee County District Court. Instead, police say he appeared Wednesday before a judge at the request of his defense lawyer and waived his right to the hearing.
Skelton's Circuit Court arraignment is set for next week. He's also due in court for a divorce trial.
The 39-year-old Skelton has said he doesn't know the whereabouts of 9-year-old Andrew, 7-year-old Alexander and 5-year-old Tanner, who were last seen with him. He's jailed on $90 million bond.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110602/METRO/106020432/Hearing-waived-for-Morenc...

6 months since Morenci boys disappeared, hope turns to agony
1:56 AM, May. 19, 2011

The yellow ribbons are still everywhere.

Some are faded, falling down around pillars. Others hang brightly on street signs and trees. They are symbols of a community missing three of its own: Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton.

It has been six months since the young Morenci brothers disappeared.

The home where they were with their father, John Skelton, before they disappeared has been in foreclosure, and Tanya Skelton, the boys' mother, said a judge gave her authority to sell it for what's owed.

After her sons went missing, Tanya Skelton said, she discovered much of the property in the home was destroyed. Cords were cut off appliances, Christmas decorations were broken and a china cabinet John Skelton bought when they purchased the home was smashed.

John Skelton remains in jail, charged in his sons' disappearance.

Earlier this month, crime scene tape still fluttered in front of the home.

Tanya Skelton is still searching for answers.

"There's nowhere to go," she said. "There's no closure."

Disappearance of brothers lingers on Morenci residents' minds

It was a warm, sunny day in Morenci.

Kids played outside on that afternoon earlier this month, swinging on swings, kicking around a ball and giggling.

Signs of stress over the disappearance of three young brothers are fading for the city's most delicate residents.

"Kids are resilient," said Mary Fisher, principal of Morenci Elementary. "We don't have any children not being children."

But a dark cloud lingers over this small town.

It has been six months since Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton -- ages 9, 7 and 5, respectively -- went missing. They were last seen in the custody of their father, John Skelton, who is facing kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment charges. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison on the kidnapping charges.

Police encourage more searches

In February, Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks called the case a murder investigation.

Earlier this month, he said he's been doing case preparation, and Skelton has a court hearing coming up in early June.

Weeks said he couldn't comment on the details of the case, but he said more than 1,000 tips have been logged. Weeks said each tip is assessed and vetted -- from sightings to psychics, including mediums or people having visions or dreams.

In the days after the boys went missing, masses of volunteers helped search vast swaths of land, particularly in northwest Ohio. Since then, Weeks said, authorities have searched particular areas based on tips, and he's still encouraging residents to search their own properties.

This week, a case in Maine sparked attention locally.

Tanya Skelton, the boys' mother, said Wednesday she was comforted to find out a boy's body found along a rural road in Maine was not one of her sons. Some thought a computer-generated image released by authorities resembled Tanner, but Tanya Skelton said authorities told her that her DNA was not a match.

Asked whether she was relieved, she said: "Very much so."

Weeks said the community is moving forward but not forgetting about the boys. When police are called out on routine runs, he said, it's not uncommon for residents to still ask whether it's related to the boys.

"I think it's always there," Weeks said.

Time is the enemy as mom seeks answers

For Tanya Skelton, work at a local greenhouse has been therapeutic, especially on Mother's Day, when she helped other families choose flowers and plants.

Flower shopping is something she has done with her boys in the past, she said.

"Snapdragons are fun," Tanya Skelton said in an interview with the Free Press earlier this month. "And the boys always loved those because you can make them talk. If you squeeze them on the side, they open."

For Tanya Skelton, other family members and the community, there have been few answers. Tanya Skelton said that, at times, it feels like time has gone by quickly, but at other times, it feels like it has been forever. "Which is hard and frustrating," she said.

John Skelton has told police his sons are with an organization, which police have said they haven't been able to locate. The boys were in his custody when they disappeared.

The home where her boys were last has been in foreclosure, said Tanya Skelton, who is in the process of getting divorced from John Skelton. She said she has been given authority by a judge to sell the home for what is owed, and some people have expressed interest in buying it.

She went through the house a day after the boys went missing and noticed things were destroyed, including a china cabinet and mattress. Over time, the level of destruction surfaced, as appliances were discovered with their cords removed and Christmas decorations were found ruined, placed back in the boxes they were kept in and back in the room where she stored them.

"There was very little that was salvageable," Tanya Skelton said.

Roxann Skelton, John Skelton's mother, said her son told her he destroyed appliances because he believed his wife or someone else was removing property from the home.

She says she doesn't believe her son hurt her grandchildren, saying he maintains that he knows who his children are with but not where they are. Roxann Skelton, who lives in Florida, said she wants the person who has the children to anonymously send her a dated picture of the boys to ease her mind.

"So I can physically see proof my boys are fine," Roxann Skelton said.

The past six months, she said, have been difficult.

Every Tuesday, she said, her son calls her from jail. They have only 15 minutes to talk, and the cost is steep.

"I want to be there to do something for him," Roxann Skelton said, crying. "And I can't do nothing for John."

Closure has been elusive for all family members.

Tanya Skelton said she knows what police have told her, but she can't give up the belief that her sons could come home safe.

"As their mom," she said, "I can't lose hope."

Town not willing to give up on the boys

Residents around town aren't willing to lose hope, either.

Missing persons signs still hang all over. At a pizza shop on Main Street, on a sign just inside the front door, was penned: "Keep the boys in your prayers! Andrew, Alex and Tanner." At a hair salon, three electric candles burned in the window.

Tanya Skelton said she has received support from the community and her family. Recently, she received gifts for Mother's Day. In March, thousands of dollars were raised at a fund-raiser for the Skelton Brothers Reward Fund.

At the Morenci Pub, locals still chatter at the bar about the case, and many say they still believe the boys are alive.

"We just pray every day," said Marsha Pierce, the bar's owner. "Even though they say they are gone, we don't believe it."

Contact Gina Damron: 313-223-4526 or gdamron@freepress.com

http://www.freep.com/article/20110519/NEWS06/105190685/6-months-since-Morenci...